A silver lining for the COVID cloud
Sure, the COVID-19 pandemic is no zombie uprising (that would have been bad, at least according to all those movies), but it has still altered our lives in very significant ways. Most of us are at least blessed with a roof over our heads and three meals a day, and need not concern ourselves on the extremely distressing economic impact it could have on our families, but for the part of the population already struggling to make a living, COVID-19 has brought even more problems into their lives.
However, one of the rare spheres in which the impact of this pandemic might be more good than bad, is when it comes to the environment. In the middle of making sure our hands are clean and that we’re always masks, we might have put our previously not-so-rampant actions to preserve our planet on hold, but the sudden standstill that was forced on a number of countries due to the quarantine has had some positive impacts on the vegetation and land around us.
Yes, yes, I know that talking about how the environment is doing when there are thousands dying sounds a bit insensitive, but the truth is that there isn’t much we can do to aid in the fight against this pandemic other than heeding social distancing measures. All we can hope for is that the small steps of success we’ve found in the middle of these trying times won’t be wasted once life goes back to normal and we become ready to abuse the environment as usual.
I’m sure we can all use some good news right about now, so let’s talk about some positive impacts on the earth due to the lock down.
Clearer Skies
With no one allowed outside their homes in these months due to the strict lock down, the number of vehicles allowed on the road went down drastically. On top of this, industries have been forced to stop working and hence have not been releasing toxic fumes into the air or into nearby water bodies. There have been noted reductions in the amount of Nitrous oxide present in the atmosphere. Levels of air pollution have decreased markedly in a majority of all metropolitan cities. In places like Delhi, sightings of the ever present smog has cleared to show blue skies.
Even though the lack of vehicles and the inactivity of industries is not a permanent solution, it has allowed the air around us to heal, and has provided a brief but effective breather for the atmosphere.
(Yikes.)
This innocent little picture depicting the AOD concentration in India from 2016 to 2020 looks slightly terrifying. If a few months of lock down can have such a significant change to the air around us, imagine what would happen if everyone put a conscious effort into reducing their own carbon footprint. I know, I know, totally unrealistic, right?(You know, more than the life threatening disease ravaging the world and forcing it into isolation, haha.)
Purer Oceans
Another area of positive impact have been the effects of lack of human interaction with water bodies. Without excessive fishing or pollution from boats and ships, this period has seen a visible change in the aquatic sphere. The DO levels of river Ganga as per reports have gone above 8 ppm and BOD levels down below 3 ppm at Kanpur and Varanasi, which ranged around 6.5 ppm and 4 ppm in 2019 respectively. Lack of industrial pollution has done wonders to the water bodies around us, this has also helped marine life thrive. In countries like Venice, the water looks clearer and there is better water flow as well.
Life Thrives
With the sudden lack of pollution pouring into lakes and rivers, it is actually becoming easier to see fishes and other marine life. Not only is their environment cleaner, but the amount of plastic waste that often causes the painful death of numerous aquatic creatures is also shrinking. Animals as well as birds are moving around on their own accord. This has also had good effects on the vegetation as well, without human interference and lessening levels of pollution, trees and plants are able to grow and cover more area and produce oxygen. Less amounts of waste also means lesser clogging of river systems.
The downside
However, this period of quarantine has caused some problems to the environment as well. With the country wide lock down and difficulty in moving across cities, people are finding it hard to dispose of household wastes and recycling practices seemed to have come to a halt. In many places people are throwing away their garbage without proper treatment onto roadsides.
But even with these slight road bumps along the way, it seems as though the COVID-19 pandemic might be somewhat a good thing when it comes to the planet and our environment. But this unexpected stoke of luck for our surroundings will all be for naught if we don’t carry through with appropriate measures after the pandemic ends. With life slowly coming back to normal once again, the positive changes we have observed are in danger of relapsing into the original condition again.
What can we do?
I’m sure we were all like “whyyyyyyy is everyone ignoring The Night King and focusing on dumb politics” when we watched Game of Thrones. I mean, lethal ice zombies does seem somewhat more dangerous than ending up in a slightly less powerful political position right? Well, the possibility of the planet we live on dying (you know, this small tiny slightly concerning little thing) while we scream at fictional characters and follow societal norms doesn’t really seem to cross our mind.
We as a generation grew up on this idea that revolutions are started to combat major problems. Look at Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and countless other young adult heroes we idolized when we were kids. But in real life, the most important thing we can often do isn’t starting an uprising, but in the small everyday things that can make a difference.
So remember to switch off your lights and fans when you don’t need them. Remember to close your taps properly, to segregate your household wastes, to leave your litter in waste bins instead of on the roads. You may be giving up a few precious minutes of your life to do so, but if everyone collectively makes a decision to try just a little harder, the results might be surprisingly positive.
Maybe we can’t all be Greta Thunberg or do large scale projects to save the environment, but we can keep ourselves updated and informed, we can do these small things that can go a long way, and despite all the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has provided us with a much needed kick start to start doing the right things.
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