COVID-19 a Blessing in Disguise?
It’s Earth Day 2020 — the decade marks the completion of 50 years of the environmental movement, in novel times of Coronavirus
Earth Day 2020, marks the completion of 50 years of this environmental movement. In the 1970s the first Earth was celebrated to increase awareness in people about growing environmental concerns.
Highlights! Earth Day 50 in times of Novel Coronavirus
- Coronavirus and Climate Change
- Coronavirus and Biodiversity
- Coronavirus and Humans
Not only 50 years of climate change activism but the start of this decade also marks the advent of novel Coronavirus. Millions of people around the world are infected with COVID-19 many have either lost their lives or loved ones.
Never before, climate change and human life have together have been held so precious.
Coronavirus and Climate Change
WHO said that humans should take the virus as a warning sign from nature and rightly so!
Over the years politicians, philanthropists, and climate change activists have been trying to reduce pollution and carbon footprints. But they never achieved what virus did in the first few weeks of the quarantine.
Since the travel and transportation bans are in place, manufacturing units shut and vehicles safely parked at home – the decline of carbon footprints in various geographies is visible.
In India within few days of the lockdown, Dhauladhar range of Himachal Pradesh became visible to the residents of Punjab’s Jalandhar some 300 kilometres away.
Coronavirus and Biodiversity
2020 marks the year when we finally see the nexus of nature, climate and sustainable development. Coronavirus finally made us see the warning signs we have been ignoring.
The world is closed for months now due to curb the spread of the COVID-19. The Coronavirus induced quarantine and stay-at-home orders have turned our world upside down even our habits.
The virus even invaded our hygiene practices. And ‘have you washed your hands’ has become the new hello! And we humans finally understand the meaning of ‘freedom’ much better.
We have been taking away the freedom of wildlife creatures for long now. The rapid industrialization and real estate development around the globe has invaded the animal’s homes.
The ongoing lockdown has impacted the animals in a way that they find their way back to their natural course. For example, a herd of Kashmiri goats took over empty streets in Llandudno, Wales. In another incident, endangered Olive Riley Turtles returned to nest on beaches of Odisha India. In Hong Kong zoo, the lockdown induced privacy also helped two Giant Pandas to mate for the first time in 10 years.
However bad the coronavirus seems for humans it looks like a boon for the animal kingdom.
Coronavirus and Humans
Coronavirus has not only claimed human lives but also saved some. The outbreak of the pandemic has made us more humble, more thoughtful. It has made us realise the negligible value of human life in the grand scheme of things.
The simple act of gratitude for the front line healthcare workers and workers providing essential services in these times has bound us all as a species.
Otherwise, last year, would you have paid attention to who came to deliver your food?
The stories of compassion and images of #Quarantine are all over our social media feeds. Be it Indian policemen releasing hand wash viral video, Spanish singing and dancing cops or Delhi people playing games from their balconies or people around the world just rediscovering them.
Coronavirus has rewired our relationship with nature and the planet in new ways then we can imagine.
And it took 50 years and a pandemic for humans to begin to realise what human nature relationship could be like.
The hippies knew it in the 70s!
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