By Seher Talukdar
The world as we know it is undergoing dramatic changes, from society, to governments, to the environment, to the workplace, and to daily life. New protocols and rules have been put in place for the benefit of all on an international scale. New curfews have been set in place, new expectations on how people are to conduct themselves in public and outside of it, and new standards to follow for once basic things like bringing home food and working. A lot of what these changes incorporate involve improved hygiene for our own sake, ensuring that any foreign objects come into our homes cleaner than they might’ve been prior. But that might not be applicable for everything. What about the planet itself?
It is no surprise to most that carbon emissions worldwide have been dramatically reduced due to new rules set in place for various countries. Limits on who can go to work, how large gatherings can be, and how long an individual can stay out, all played a huge factor in bringing down pollution. For some places, it means less air pollution with less cars and automobiles running. For areas like port cities or harbors, it means less water traffic, allowing for aquamarine life to thrive yet again. All things considered, it appears that the Earth will come out of the pandemic much cleaner and greener than before. However, all of these beneficial changes are in danger of being reversed faster than they were made.
It is also known that the pandemic has delivered huge blows to the economy, as many people have been put out of work temporarily or permanently. Plans have already been set by both private and corporate companies across the world to recover lost profits and get back on track. Meaning, a lot of businesses who plan to continue operation, will do so at a pace far more rapid than before the pandemic. What does this translate to for the environment? For planet Earth, it could mean that the slow repairing of the environment done during the pandemic will be swiftly unraveled once more. NBC News article by Luke Denne notes how a lot of regulations set to protect the environment have already been loosened. For example, bans on plastics or single-use products have begun being neglected or lifted, with states like New Hampshire even preventing shoppers from bringing their own reusable bags. Considering how long it took to originally establish such rules, it will likely take even longer to bring them back. Worse results await countries abroad, such as China which has current carbon emissions down by 25%. However, history lays out that the nation does not always approach economic crises with the most environmental methods, which makes for some pretty grave predictions.
The shift in focusing on economic recovery will also harm the movement to protect the environment, which will likely receive less attention from the eyes of governments both within the states and abroad, leaving more damage to come. So while the pandemic appears to leave positive changes for the Earth, those changes will likely not last long as governments race to recover with other methods and contrasting goals in mind. There may be short-term achievements for the environment, but it will not outlive the long-term goals of governments.
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