Earth Day 2020: Healing the planet by staying indoors

Earth Day 2020: Healing the planet by staying indoors

Fifty years ago, today, nations came together to pledge their support for environmental protection and reforms, after a massive oil spill in the United States. But, over the years, very little was achieved as rapid industrialisation, and ever-growing population took over the world. More humans, rising middle-class, globalisation and technology advancements gave rise to greed. In a bid to conquest the world, the earth was the last on the priority list.

Today, however, half a century later, amidst the coronavirus lockdown, we have found real reasons to celebrate Earth Day. 

The year 2020, was supposed to be an important year of change and new beginnings. It came with promises of pollution control and sustainable development. A set of international conferences were also planned around realigning goals and refocusing on the issues of climate change and environment protection. Unfortunately, all of it had to be postponed.  

But the upside to the global lockdown is, Mother Earth is getting a much-deserved break. Owing to the halt in the economic activities and the sudden shutdown, our planet is starting to see positive impacts. Coincidently, in a move to protect humanity, serious attention is being paid to the health of the planet along with the health of its people during the pandemic. 

A POSITIVE IMPACT
We have seen photos of flamingos flocking creaks and wild animals roaming around in the open. But that is not all. Geoscientists from around the world have reported a drop in the seismic noise – causing a reduction in vibration. This is helping researchers detect smaller earthquakes and monitor volcanic activities. Researchers claim that this is due to the reduction in industrial activities and vehicular traffic.

The lockdown has also helped in improving the air quality around the world. Europe and the United States recorded a 60 and 30 per cent drop respectively in their NO2 levels in the last week of March. The harmful gas is known for causing illnesses such as asthma. It has a deteriorating effect on heart and lung ailments. 

As reported by the climate website Carbon Brief, carbon emissions in China fell by around 25 per cent at the beginning of the year, during the lockdown.

India too has shown improvement in its air quality. Cities like Mumbai and Delhi are experiencing clearer skies along with more breathable air. Reports of the Himalayan range being visible from north Punjab have also been surfacing. A report by NASA shows the lowest aerosol levels in twenty years over northern India. These small solid particles are responsible for causing low visibility.

Tuesday saw the oil prices go in the US go in the negatives. While that’s alarming for the global economy that’s already in shambles, the absence of vehicular pollution, caused majorly due to fossil fuels have contributed to earth’s healing.

“The fossil-fuels industry is by far the most damaging to our global climate. Reducing our dependence on these polluting fuels is arguably the single-most urgent challenge we face if we are to avoid an unmanageable climate crisis in the next few decades. We all need to make sure our money isn’t supporting an industry that is harming our planet,” warns the public and environmental health scientist Dr Alexandra Jellicoe as quoted by The Independent.

Also, globally, the commercial aviation industry produces over 2.5 per cent of all human-induced carbon emission. But due to the suspension of air travel, the emission is expected to plummet considerably. Clearer water and clean beaches are an added benefit of the lockdown.

This does give hope for a better tomorrow. Leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs must look at sustainable models with the earth at the centre. A virus has made the world this disciplined; we can surely continue putting up such defiance to combat climate change.

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CALL FOR A CELEBRATION
Virtual events are taking over the internet to promote staying indoors and today is no exception. 

Earth Day Network has organised a global live stream of to celebrate this day with eminent personalities such as Anil Kapoor, Zac Efron, Paul Nicklen Ricky Kej, and many others. The online event will host performances, talks and call to action events through all its speakers. 

NASA has also organised for a stay-at-home celebration through their website sporting video games, social media events, mobile apps, and projects designed especially for Earth Day. The site has developed interactive games and e-books and podcasts catering to all age-groups.  

Closer to home, AR Rahman will be live on CNNNews18 at 8 pm with his year-long project with Ken Kragen titled – Hands around the world. The new anthemic song features pop stars Natasha Bedingfield, Cody Simpson, soul musician MAJOR, opera icon Jonathan Cilia Faro, gospel singer Erica Atkins-Campbell of Mary Mary, and many more.

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