The coronavirus teaches us two things: "Humanity and Climate Action."
The coronavirus will test our principles, values, and shared humanity. Scapegoats are never far away when anxiety and doubt set in. A nation cannot handle this alone, and no part of our communities will be overlooked if we approach this global problem efficiently.
People are suffering from the little things. Take panic buying as an example. We can only imagine what the people will do if there is an actual food shortage in this country. The disease has also brought bigotry, prejudice, and racism.
Viruses don't discriminate, but humans do.
We should stop xenophobia, stop panic buying, and start shopping responsibly. We can work together as one to overcome the challenges of this pandemic. On a brighter note, countries that are under extreme lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) have encountered unexpected returns. The environmental effects of the pandemic in some countries led to a substantial decrease in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. That is estimated to have wiped out a quarter or more of the country's carbon dioxide emission over the past two weeks!
Recent observations have shown that strict social distancing and self-quarantine procedures are also likely to have an impact on a city's level of air pollution.
Quality-monitoring satellites run by NASA and the European Space Agency have reported significant air pollution declines. The pandemic, however, is temporary and can still be reversed. But experts warned that observed improvements are transient and that as cities, countries, and economies bounce back, so will pollution - unless significant infrastructure or social practices are adopted. Also, we need to take a moment and think about what we want to happen and what we need to do once everything goes back to normal. Maybe we can reflect on the way we are being governed or how issues such as health care, poverty, infrastructure, and pollution are being addressed.
If we can create plans for other catastrophic events such as this pandemic, then maybe we will be more prepared. It's also possible that we will be able to prevent these disasters from happening. There is still hope.