Written by Sarika Ganguli
This whole pandemic has caused upset. It has been inconvenient and disruptive. The lives of over half a million people have been lost and countless more have been altered forever. One would wonder what good could come from this? It is a reasonable question and one which deserves an answer.
For years, scientists and activists have fought to create global awareness and see a shift in the climate and the changes that take place year after year. They may finally be seeing the shift that they desire.
Over the last few months there has been unprecedented reductions in pollution worldwide – a change that historically cannot be equalled. The air has thinned, and the waters have cleared in countries where pollution has been disastrous. I have personally lived in some of these countries and travelled through a few more. I lived in China for over a year and having seen the state of the places I visited, I can honestly tell you that it can be difficult travelling through such areas without feeling something. I would generally start off with disgust, then fear, then worry and end off with concern. The garbage and clutter spanned miles and I could not believe the filth that people endured throughout the world. Seeing it in person was eye-opening and enlightened my perspective. The pandemic has changed things and I honestly believe that it has caused a necessary shift which may ensure our growth and survival.
We finally have an opportunity to see how humans through our actions and choices have affected our planet. I personally can see the difference in my own town. There are less cars, less people and less pollution!
We have learned a great deal and adapted to the changes that have taken place in our everyday lives. I feel that once we come out on the other side of this, our opinion on environmental issues will change. There have been some dramatic developments in the last few months and I think that governments will be more ready to implement new strategies to combat the climate crisis based on this experience. We need to use this as a roadmap or template and it is my hope that people throughout the world begin to understand the part we each can play and take responsibility for our individual footprint and the impact.
This time has been important for our planet and us. We have been given a chance to breathe, an opportunity to refresh ourselves, and reconnected us to Mother Nature. It is my hope that we can come together when all of this is over and make a collaborated effort to affect real change with the environment.
