- May 29, 2020
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It's hard to imagine that anything good could come from a virus that has infected hundreds of thousands around the world, caused economies to come to a grinding halt and left mass uncertainty as to what the future will hold. However, amid the coronavirus chaos, a strange phenomenon seems to be occurring. The reduction of industrial activity around the world due to ‘shelter in place’ orders seems to be having a positive effect on nature.
In regions like China and Italy, for example, that are among the hardest hit by COVID-19 the air is reported to be “strikingly clean”. The Grand Canal in Venice is said to be “running clear”. Fog pollution is also significantly reduced in some US states like Seattle and Chicago and on a global level, carbon emissions have decreased. Couple this with creatures like dolphins, swans, and fishes returning to long-abandoned areas and it would appear that nature has hit a RESET button.
To be clear, even though these impacts can be considered a positive side-effect, the coronavirus pandemic is nothing short of a global tragedy. However, nature’s response could act as a support for sustaining human life by attempting to balance the scales and slow down another, and perhaps more fatal, tragedy. According to the United Nations, “the threat from coronavirus is temporary whereas the threat from heatwaves, floods and extreme storms resulting in the loss of human life will remain with us for years”.
In other words, how this global health crisis is handled will shape the ongoing climate crisis in the future. New York Times writer, Elizabeth Gibney, says that “The efforts to revive economic activity — the stimulus plans, bailouts and back-to-work programs being developed now — will help determine the shape of our economies and our lives for the foreseeable future, and they will have effects on carbon emissions that reverberate across the planet for thousands of years”.
The fact nature has rebounded as a result of less human activity does not mean that humankind and nature cannot coexist. Rather, it may mean that as we chart the path toward a post-COVID-19 era where we’ve scaled back on business trips in lieu of virtual meetings, where neighborhood walks have taken the place of Sunday drives, we should continue to adapt our lifestyles to create a ‘new normal’ that supports both man and nature.
This is supported by RF Bahamas Economic Outlook 2020 presenter, Rueanna Haynes in her presentation “The Climate Crisis and Small Island Developing States” said that “adaptation is not simple, but it is essential”. Haynes further argues that as a reality of climate change, widespread and significant impacts are already being felt which warrant urgent mitigation. The key takeaway here is that the temporary reprieve nature has been given from reduced human activity due to COVID-19 is just that – temporary. Unless global policies align to support the sustainability of our natural environment, a return to business-as-usual will likely result in a continued trajectory toward a global climate crisis.
To watch Rueanna's full video, click here.
If there is one good thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic, it would perhaps be the opportunity to rethink the way forward. It has exposed weaknesses in healthcare, economic, and even governmental systems, while simultaneously showing us what works. These are the tools that make for a stronger future.