BY PETER MAKWANYA IF the climate was COVID-19, this wish list would prevail For this wishful wish list, the unjust carbon sins prevail Human kind never anticipated, what kind of human is human kind Never saw it coming, but hit by surprise, panic and uncertainties As the 21st Century Armageddon and biocide for the climate The climate change in an accelerating changing climate If climate change was COVID-19, the environment would be sanitised If climate change was COVID-19, the polluters would be vaccinated and masked Carbon emitters, forest plunders and polluters would be locked indoors Never to pollute again, taste the just medicine of their climate injustices If climate change was COVID-19, climate injustices would be recorded and monitored daily There would been no Conference of Parties (COPs) due to travel restrictions and daily curfews World leaders would neither embrace nor shake hands, so they can’t spread climate sins No palms would be greased with greenbacks but with the transparent smelly liquid To sanitise their sins for polluting the environment with the anointing smelly liquid If climate change was COVID-19, emissions, toxins, deforestations and degradations Would be monitored and tested by the non-contact infrared thermometer Carbon sinners and eco-freaks would be quarantined Never to grace the Conference of Parties (COPs) and get detained Never to receive their share of greenbacks, their major concern not the environment If climate change was COVID-19 artisan miners and polluters would not partake wines and whisks Laugh with mouths covered, while steaming the environment with lemons, ginger, garlic and steam while drinking zumbani/umsuzwane tea (Lippia Javanica) If climate change was COVID-19 rich nations would be made to stay indoors Counting the costs of their arrogance, attitudes, behaviours and deceptions Carbon sinners would at least listen and not hear No marginalisation of the poor but valuing the poor’s indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) Carbon emitting companies would close, lockdown, downsize and pollute for two days a week, weakening their economies If climate change was COVID-19, road transporters would need letters from the police with no one policing the police Workshops and conferences would be banned and turned into non-lucrative virtual Schools would be closed, replaced by non-existent online learning and misinformation Carbon sinners’ footprints would continue to observe social distancing Words would also communicate changes in climate change, meaning what they mean If climate change was COVID-19, the world would carve 21st century habitual liars Strangers to the truth, the Goebbels of this era, COVID-19 this, COVID-19 that, established liars The environment would be given the chance to grow without hiding behind COVID-19. With all the lies gone with COVID-19, one wonders if the world will have anything more to say If climate change was COVID-19, countries would respect their environment. As every branch, bush, shrub, root, leaves would treat ailments. Climate change would not attract