Some thoughts about the crisis

Photograph: CC https://www.pexels.com/es-es/@shvetsa

Surely it is still too early to analyze what is happening these days, we have neither the perspective nor the cool head that a few months of routine will give us. Even so, and at the risk of being wrong for not waiting a couple of months, we have some thoughts that we want to share. These thoughts completely go beyond the field of design - although they may be related to it - but they do have a direct relationship with sustainability and our model of society.

Dependency from the outside

We live in a world with a global economy and this certainly has very positive aspects. However, we see how our society is so dependent on what comes from the outside that we are totally incapable of producing something as simple and cheap as a protective mask, or something as sophisticated as a device to do quick tests for the covid-19. Both things have to be imported and obviously in such a situation each supplier tends to prioritize his own country in order to serve orders. China is a special case, since it has such an incredible productive capacity that it is able to meet external and internal needs at the same time, while here the protective equipment, machinery and tests arrive late and often at a ridiculously high price, the law of supply and demand.

“Obviously, with more foresight and making purchases earlier a good part of the problem would have been solved, but having a greater capacity to respond to domestic demand would certainly have contributed to alleviating the crisis.”

It is clear that having so much dependence on the outside world - and that having under-represented sectors with as much added value as research and technology - is a very bad decision. We have innovative companies and recognized research centers, but not enough in terms of numbers or above all, not sufficiently funded or supported. The same goes for production centers, we live in a country with very strong industrial areas, but nobody can deny that decades ago we gave too much weight to tourism, and that in the middle of the crisis this sector is not useful at all. We are absolutely not proposing total self-sufficiency and the commercial closure of borders, but rather trying to operate in a more balanced way, where the sectors with more added value have a greater weight than the current one to not depend so much on the outside.

Lack of investment in strategic places

We are the first to believe that it is the combination of public and private that generates a dynamic economy and social justice at the same time, one without the other falls out. However, there are some specific cases, such as healthcare, where under-financing the public system reveals huge flaws in just one week of crisis. We have been warned of a lack of resources for more than a decade and now we are paying for it.

Private healthcare does not have the capacity to solve the problem -although of course it is being a good help- it is the public sector that has to respond by hiring staff, building hospitals, doubling shifts, etc. and it does so without looking at the bank account of the patients. We hope that this will be taken into account in the immediate future, and that we will never again see cuts in healthcare or terrible shortages of healthcare supplies, whatever the color of the political party that has the power.

At the same time, we see how companies and organizations of all sizes have started to provide solutions in an agile and efficient way, from the research center that is conducting clinical studies, those that develop computer models about the virus, to the workshop that is printing 3d masks, or the farmers who are making sure that the store shelves are not empty. It is curious to see how sectors as neglected as health, agriculture, distribution, research, small industry or cleaning are those that are allowing us to withstand.

A new opportunity?

We cannot stop thinking about whether this crisis can bring any positive change or not. We have heard that the pollution levels of our cities have fallen to lows that haven’t seen in years, that animals have returned to places where they haven’t set foot since long ago. It is not a relief for the drama we are experiencing, but the fact that a pandemic that threatens our future is positive for the environment should make us think about our role on this planet.

“If ten years ago we would have made far fewer changes than we have done these days - such as reducing mobility by several points - who knows if this pandemic would have never happened, or if it would have happened to a lesser extent. ”

We would be on the right track regarding our environmental impact. I hope that all the relationships that are being woven these days, the solidarity, group conscience and empathy that we are showing have come to stay, and that this break allows us to project ourselves into the future doing things differently. All of this will certainly help on the way to sustainability.

The challenge, which of course is absolutely huge and equally motivating, is to make this change compatible with economic prosperity, without letting the weakest ones aside. Whether we like it or not, our economy is based on over-consumption and the movement of goods and people, so a break like this is going to mortally hurt it. Now the only thing that matters is saving lives, but from the day after it will be necessary to work very hard and with a great future vision so that what comes does not repeat the mistakes of the past. We have received so many warnings that we are driving straight into a wall that it would be unfortunate not to change direction in time.

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Do you agree with what we say? You don’t? Surely we can learn a lot from your opinion, leave us a comment if you think you can contribute with something to the debate.