Unintended Benefits: COVID-19 has seen positive environmental impacts, but it’s time to talk about what happens after

As I scrolled past COVID-19 memes and videos of families making TikToks on Instagram, something caught my eye. NASA’s maps of air pollution across the globe that are normally bright orange have turned almost completely blue.

The typical orange-red color represents the high levels of air pollution, but the blue that’s now covering these world maps shows that pollution has decreased by incredible measures. Less people are on the roads driving to work and school, less planes are traveling the globe and less factories are in production. Now, we need to open the conversation to find how we can maintain a cleansing pattern even after things return to normal.

In just a span of a few months — even if it was caused by a global pandemic — we’ve seen the positive impact we can have on our environment if we cut back on fossil fuel use. People have said it’s too late to make any real changes now and that the damage we’ve done to the environment is irreversible, but we’ve now seen that a change in how we go about our daily lives can make tremendous differences in a short span of time. But if we immediately fall back to our previous interactions with the environment once the global pandemic is over, all the positive impact we’ve seen will disappear. 

Since the initial shutdown in Wuhan, China in January — previously one of the top 100 most polluted cities in the world — nitrogen dioxide emission levels went from between 400-500 μmol/m2 or micromoles per meter squared to less than 100. Moderate to good levels of this are considered to be between zero and 100, so this makes a big impact in climate change as lower levels of greenhouse gases cause less heat to be retained in the low atmosphere. And in New York, pollution has already been reduced by almost 50% according to BBC News.

Let’s be clear, I’m not saying that COVID-19 is under any circumstances a positive thing, but it has shown us that it’s possible for humans to make a (much needed) change in our pollution levels and decrease our carbon footprint in a short amount of time. And now that we know it’s possible, we can’t return to the idea that we’re “too far gone” and can’t help the Earth.

As much as we’d like to believe that a few months of “pause” from the constant pollution humans typically poison the planet with will solve all environmental issues, it’s going to take a long-term solution. 

Sure, these positive changes we’re seeing are because of the shutdown of cities and countries across the world. It won’t be as easy to make dramatic changes without the shutdown of our daily activities, but any decreases we can make, whether it’s by creating stricter standards through limiting production in factories or limiting vehicular travel, will make a difference.

Rose Kanaley | The Harbinger Online

We have this time now, a period without the same great levels of production and consumption we’re accustomed to, to decide if we want to turn things around once society returns to normal.

So even though it feels like the most important things in your life have been taken away, whether that’s being able to go out to get Chick-Fil-A with your friends or play your senior season of a spring sport, what we have now is a time to reflect and restart. Reflect on what we can and will do better — like helping out the environment.

We can’t shut down all production for good, but limiting the number of factories or individual vehicular use can make a difference. Whether it’s something as simple as carpooling with a neighbor to school or writing to your local government and asking them to pay more attention to climate change, small changes add up.

We don’t need a set solution in place yet, but we need to continue the conversation and treat the issue for what it is: a problem that can be solved.

Right now, the planet’s health isn’t taken seriously — and it should be. The current way our society thrives and builds the economy through our materialism and constant production is a reflection of our neglect toward the planet. Keeping our planet healthy doesn’t just mean a better place for plants and other species, it’s important to our society’s life as well. According to the World Health Organization, 4.2 million people die every year from causes directly attributable to air pollution like asthma, bronchitis, lung and heart diseases and respiratory allergies.

COVID-19 clearly isn’t anything close to a savior or solution to climate change. But the virus is forcing us to stop all daily activities and production for a few months and has brought a new perspective to the idea of making a positive difference.

With this newfound meaning to making a positive difference, people need to be willing to look at all the good than can come from a healthier planet and decreased pollution.

So now it’s not about how we feel or act during this shutdown, it’s about how that forces us to look forward to what we will do — more importantly how we’ll treat the planet — once this quarantine ends.