May 2020 |
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Article by Eliza Mitchem The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly caused negative impacts for society, but it has also been creating positive effects on the environment. The planet is seeing its first fall in global emissions since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. This is partially due to the travel bans. Because of travel bans, air travel has hit its lowest point in ten years. Airlines have reduced their capacity by about 56% and passenger counts are down about 92%, according to Airlines for America. The few planes that are still in the air are mainly for transporting cargo to satisfy government requirements linked to the stimulus law (the two trillion dollar covid-19 aid package). Another reason air pollution is down is because cities and factories around the world have halted. In China, the world’s largest carbon user, emissions have gone down about 18% and in the US, vehicle traffic has fallen by nearly 40%. In the U.K, vehicle traffic has fallen more than 70%. Noise pollution has also gone down. Noise pollution- mainly caused by machines and transport- is the harmful impact that sound has on human and animal activity. Research has shown that noise from ships and other maritime traffic can increase stress-hormone levels in marine creatures, which can affect their reproductive success. Since cargo and cruise ships have been pulled from the ocean, seismologists have reported a silence in the ocean like never before. According to Michelle Fournet, a Marine Ecologist at Cornell, “This will be the quietest entry that humpback whales have had in southeastern Alaska in decades.” Because of this quietness whales have begun playing close to the shore. In Vancouver and Marseille whales have been spotted in places they have never been known to appear. Animals have been appearing elsewhere as well. The canals of Venice are the clearest they have ever been in 60 years. The waters are so clear that people have reported seeing fish and even jellyfish. Leatherback sea turtles, the largest living sea turtles, have made a comeback on Juno Beach Florida. This year the marine center has counted 71 nests, nearly all leatherback sea turtles. Thailand is experiencing the same boost for leatherbacks, as its beaches are also empty of tourists. The species is endangered from environmental changes and hunting. However, not all of the environmental impacts have been positive. In the U.S. some cities have halted recycling programs as officials worry about the risk of spreading the virus in recycling centers. Most businesses have also started using more single-use packaging. For example, Starbucks recently announced a temporary ban on using reusable cups. There has also been a surge in medical waste and chemicals. In Wuhan, hospitals produced an average of over 200 tons of such waste per day during the outbreak, up from its previous average of less than 50 tons. Officials In the U.S predict a similar increase and industry leaders fear that such a flood of medical waste could result in infections among their workers. “The ones that are celebrating the environmental improvements during the Covid-19 crisis are shortsighted,” said Li Shuo, senior global policy adviser at Greenpeace in Beijing. “Pollution may temporarily decline, but this is hardly a sustainable way of cleaning up our environment. Meanwhile, the virus crisis brings other environmental problems that might last for a longer time.
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Kiki
4/16/2020 06:19:41 am
This was so cute! I wish there could be more of these, it makes it easier for some students to get to know teachers (I'm remembering the Henner article that was published (?) / released (?) last year -- that was funny). I know Lilly is graduating, but these are cool, maybe this can be continued next year :)
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