CORONAVIRUS: NATURE’S COMEBACK?

A . KRISHNA

With the infamous Coronavirus being the headline of almost every country on the planet, it requires no reinforcement that this pandemic is a significant issue. It has claimed the lives of thousands and infected a large portion of the global population, leaving the planet in a state of major international crisis. This invisible killer clearly has had some devastating impacts.

But when all is said and done, this unforgettable tale of the COVID-19 Pandemic isn’t purely negative. Of course the resultant socioeconomic implications of the virus, have been nothing short of brutally destructive. Everything from supermarket shelves, the summer exams, sales targets and the stock markets, have all suffered colossal scars as a result of the pandemic. However, the environmental impacts don’t seem to be the same. In fact, to the surprise of many, they appear to be diametrically opposite.

The Italian peninsula, with over 7000 dead and over 70000 infected, has been under total lockdown since March the 9th. With all shops, schools and offices shut, the nation’s streets were left subject to the forces of nature. Since then, the results have been pretty self-explanatory, with reports citing colossal falls in air pollution and harmful emissions across the northern segment of the country.

And it doesn’t just end there. There have been plenty of other pleasant impacts. The once murky canals of Venice, upon being relieved from the swarms of tourists and the fleets of gondolas, have restored themselves into crystal clear waterways and have been accompanied with the return of dolphins and other aquatic lifeforms after decades of absence, due to the lack of pollutants.

And it doesn’t just end with Italy. China, despite its economy’s heavy dependence on the manufacturing sector, was forced to close all factories to combat the spread of the virus - and within just fifty days, the evidence is clear. NASA’s satellite image below reveals how the widespread closure measures have

drastically improved China’s air quality. The megacities of Beijing and Shanghai saw massive reductions in nitrogen dioxide levels, a potent greenhouse gas which is emitted from car exhausts and factories. A recent report also showed how China, in the last couple of months, has decreased its carbon emissions by a quarter. This was then later studied by a Stanford professor, Marshall Burke, who stated that, “The reduction in air pollution in China… may have saved twenty times more lives in China than have been currently lost due to the virus.”

So, as we wait patiently and embark upon this indefinite journey through historic times, let us reflect upon this episode of the COVID-19 outbreak, and how within days of simultaneous worldwide inactivity, the results we have seen are substantial. They are greatly encouraging in a world where climate change is a growing issue, and let us regard it as an expensive lesson to humanity, that climate change action, if conducted on an international scale, will certainly yield tangible and evident results.