“And the people stayed home.” – How the COVID-19 lockdown regulations are allowing the Earth to heal
Nobody can say that COVID-19 has had a positive impact on our everyday lives. With nearly 2,000,000 confirmed cases worldwide and over 120,000 deaths, there is no doubt that this pandemic will leave a heartbreaking imprint in human history. In an attempt to enforce social distancing and prevent further spread, more than one-fifth of the global population remains under ‘lockdown’ status. As a result, industrial trade has slowed, travel has halted, and most people are following advice to stay at home. The constant coronavirus updates, combined with the monotony of our current lifestyles, can make it difficult to remain positive. However, with engines switched off and humans retreating inside, there is one undeniable benefit: the Earth is beginning to heal.
The most obvious example of this is a reduction in global carbon emissions. With worldwide travel essentially banned, its 23 per cent contribution to carbon output has almost certainly decreased. Perhaps you had a holiday booked for the Easter break? A quick city break with the girls? A romantic week on the beach? Either way, it was probably cancelled by your airline or travel company, with scheduled departures down by 48 per cent compared to this time last year. And the skies are not the only place where traffic has come to a standstill: the gridlocked roads around major cities are now practically empty as employees are encouraged to work from home. The dreaded rush hour is no more, as people are condemned to set up home offices and sacrifice the usual morning commute. As a result, a reduction in carbon emission is localised over metropolitan hubs. In New York City for instance, carbon dioxide levels have declined by 5-10 per cent and carbon monoxide dropped by half.
Traffic declines evidence the cooperation of the public with government advice to stay at home where possible. And empty roads mean empty offices, factories, farms and plants. In China, the origin of the virus, key industrial sectors have reported up to 40 per cent reductions in productivity. This has ultimately caused CO2 emissions to shrink by a quarter, and NO2 by nearly a third in some regions, as shown in satellite images from NASA. The European space agency has also confirmed this trend to have appeared across Europe, particularly over northern Italy. Despite concerns regarding the damage to the global economy, the benefits to the environment throughout this period are irrefutable.
Although, the positive effects of a withdrawal of anthropogenic activity are far more tangible than facts and figures and research papers. On your rationed daily outing, you may have noticed the birds chirping louder than normal and a certain stillness in the world around you. Are there more birds, or simply fewer humans? With fewer cars on the roads and people on the streets, animals and plants are slowly creeping back into their natural ecosystems. In Venice, residents reported crystal clear waters in the canals where tour and taxi boats have been replaced by shoals of fish and marine life. This month, thousands of Indians feasted their eyes on glorious views of the Dhauladahr mountain range for the first time in decades. The beauty of these Himalayan formations has only been visible because of a lockdown-induced reduction in air pollution. For the first time in years, the pace of human life is slowing, and the climate is grateful for it.
Prior to the pandemic, we had seen small successes in climate change action, led by environmental activism across the world. NASA suggests that even the ozone has begun to heal, which will only be encouraged by the recent reduction in greenhouse gases. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol banned CFCs in global recognition of ozone depletion, and current research suggests that changes to Southern hemisphere circulation trends finally evidence a reversal and rehabilitation of the Earth’s protective layer. Scientists have said that the oceans are showing signs of recovery and that, with the right conservation efforts, there is hope of full restoration by 2050.
Of course, the immediacy of the coronavirus cause has caused the global audience to turn its gaze from climate change to the current crisis. But we must not lose the momentum we had gathered in recent years, and we can utilise this opportunity to maximise environmental respite in the coming months. Great Thunberg has urged Twitter users to sustain environmental activism on their social media platforms, forcing authorities to stay interested despite more pressing pandemic-related matters. Nobody is understating the scale of the COVID-19 crisis, but it is important to recognise other ongoing issues that will require attention in the long term. Previous epidemics, like Smallpox, have left lasting marks in CO2 measurements within ice cores, suggesting that this is an excellent opportunity to slow the pace of climate change.
In the coming months, as curves begin to flatten and commuters return to the Metropolitan Line, we can expect a shift in focus towards recovering from the effects of the coronavirus. The International Monetary Fund has declared that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is already greater than that of the 2008 financial crisis.[12] A lot of lost revenue may never be recouped. But in efforts to reboot the post-pandemic global economy, we must focus on moving towards more sustainable energy sources and an approach that benefits both humans and the planet. We can expect huge changes in every aspect of our lives, from devaluation of urban centres and value of the airline industry, to government policy and social patterns. Life as we know it is about to change, and we have the power to shape our world for the better. Across the globe, a surge of social movements has emerged to aid the health crisis. Everywhere you look people are running 5 kilometres for charity, volunteering for local health services and donating homemade facemasks to essential workers. More than a heartwarming case of community response, this is evidence of the power of people and social action. If we can continue the momentum of this activist approach post-pandemic, there is potential to really conquest the climate change crisis.
Environmental respite cannot be mistaken for a silver lining to the suffering and stress caused by COVID-19. Our hearts are with the billions of people affected in every way, shape and form. We remember the doctors, nurses, mothers, fathers, children, siblings and friends sadly lost to coronavirus. Yet, in this time of mass suffering and difficulty, we have seen the world respond with kindness and generosity, offering time, money and resources toward the cause. Perhaps we can carry this forward in the coming years: how people can make a difference, as well as our responsibility to extend our efforts beyond our immediate circles, to the human race, and the greater global cause. With Earth Day approaching on Wednesday, April 22, now is as good a time as ever to reflect on your own lifestyle and how it impacts our Earth. For now, we can look forward to the end of the pandemic, but also to the inevitable positive change that this will hopefully bring.
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