Covid-19 has been an absolute catastrophe for so many nations and many of us individuals. But with all the negative this pandemic has brought, there has been a clear positive worldwide: the regrowth of the environment.
Lockdown and quarantine has made significant impacts on the world's climate crisis and has improved regional climate health. There have been other ways that we have regressed from where we were pre-pandemic, such as increase single use plastics and waste (masks, gloves, sanitization bottles, wipes, etc.). But let's take a look at different ways humans have inadvertently reduced their carbon footprint while battling through a global pandemic.
First, lets talk about the situation with fossil fuels. Air pollution has plunged, oil use and importance has decreased, and global emissions have dropped significantly from the loss of social and economic activities.
Which is great for not only our health, but the health of the planet!
Here's a list of the environmental improvements that have occurred since the covid-19 pandemic began:
- reduced greenhouse gases emitted
- reduced pollution and improved water quality
- reduced noise pollution from industrial activities
- ecological restoration from reduced tourist activity
All of the points listed above are either directly or indirectly related to fossil fuel consumption. Since covid has began, fossil fuel consumption has plummeted and has played a huge part in limiting pollution and human environmentally harmful affairs.
China’s community in Wuhan is a good example of the drastic changes in air quality and energy use. Pictures from satellites have shown the vast difference in air pollution over Wuhan. This is a huge leap in the right direction especially for areas in China that suffer the most from air pollution.
Secondly, changes have occurring in native wildlife and the biodiversity of our North American regions. Vehicle collisions related to animal mortality have fell and many natural ecosystems have been reestablished in North America, where human activity infringes and destroys regional ecosystems.
What is important to remember and work towards is a greener and more sustainable future. All the environmental growth we have achieved since lockdown has been astounding and truly shows how strong mama Earth is. But we need to continue to fight to push the progress we've made so we don't fall back to where we used to be.
That's a nice little segue into my third point. All of this is in the works! There are people fighting for the environment and climate action right now!
UN leaders, activists, and scientists are campaigning for debate surrounding cleaner jobs, greener energy, building efficiency, natural infrastructure, and strengthening global commons. They are pushing for immediate climate action and this pandemic has provided us with solid evidence on the sheer amount of damage our planet has endured.
It is important to explore the bounce back of nature in the quarantined nations, but with this, it is also important to weigh the positive and other consequences associated. Of how important it is to seize this global opportunity to approach the future with green intention.
Although this drop in activity has positively affected the earth and the humankind footprint, the transition to a cleaner world is still blocked by a political wall, aka disaster capitalism (a term outlined by a Canadian writer). This fact is well known and the basis of disaster capitalism: environmental concern often restricts business expansions and profits which is sometimes intertwined with our national politics.
This leaves a massive responsibility to the environment and shows the great impacts a shift to sustainability can bring through political regulations. However, this greener future comes at a cost and that cost is a chunk of the economy, in some shape or form. But something that is clear, whichever way is chosen, whether that is implementing greener infrastructure or by continuing to enforce specific policies, a portion of the economy will have to take a necessary hit for the future.
The results of shutdown global economies have drastically changed the planet and the evidence is undisputable.
In the current state, the environmental improvements we have made can be easily reversed if business goes back to its original function capacity before the pandemic, which there is evidence of in Wuhan. The satellite images of Wuhan show the positives of decreased pollution but Wuhan has been returning to its original economic capacity, which is pumping pollution at the original rates reversing the improvements.
An aspect of the lessened human activity in ecosystems show that wildlife have moved from quieter places to locations that were frequented by humans. An example of this is a coyote sighting on the Golden Gate Bridge when usually coyotes are timid around traffic. It is a dangerous misconception that this is just positively affecting our countries.
I want to clarify that these almost 'contradictions' to the improving environmental status are not negative impacts. However, they can quickly become negative if dealt with in the incorrectly.
These reactions are responses to the decreased pollution levels and are new adjustments we must make to battle climate change.
This pandemic has given us the rare opportunity to see how much damage we are truly doing to our world and how quickly our beautiful planet can bounce back if we stop poisoning our natural systems. Moving forward, we need to learn from this and apply our new-found hope and proof to our national politics. This is our wake up call and we need to act on it before its too late.
We have been given the opportunity to save our planet and we need to start now!
Sign up below for our newsletter to hear about new products that can make you more sustainable and zero waste while working through this pandemic!
Best, Emily @ Shop Sustainably