Environmental Positives of COVID-19

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As of May 3rd, the coronavirus has caused almost 250,000 deaths, infected millions, and led to almost the entire world to be in shelter and place or lockdown. The effects of the virus have been nothing less than wretched and awful, but one positive that has come out of this situation is the impact on the environment. The coronavirus lockdowns have created the unintended experiment of the world creating significantly less pollution from cars and airplanes; the usual amounts of carbon emissions that come from everyday commuting have significantly decreased. A satellite image from China shows the drop of pollution from a few months during the pandemic’s first few months there. This trend has appeared across the world especially in areas with big cities. NASA has begun tracking and noticing a decrease in nitrous oxide and formaldehyde, both pollutants from airplanes, in cities and airports. In the oceans, marine life has been given a chance to recover. The demand for fresh seafood has decreased, and not only is there less pollution from fishing boats but the animals have also enjoyed the lack of the noise activity. While it is expected that industrial activity will quickly pick up after the economy is reopened, scientist hope the coronavirus’s lasting impact on the environment will be to offer important lessons and raise awareness as to how human industrial activity and transportation have significant impacts on climate change and how these impacts can be reduced by human decision and actions in the future.