Will covid-19 impact climate change in the long term?

By: ISABEL CARDEN

 

     In the midst of all of the uncertainty in the world right now, one question that has been circling around is how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting the climate crisis.Many of us have seen the pictures of this effect: flamingoes returning to clear waters by the Taj Mahal, clear skies over the Bei Jing skyline, dolphins swimming in the canals of Venice. There’s no doubt that the halting of air, ground, and sea traffic has greatly reduced impacted how much CO2 is being emitted into our atmosphere. But is this enough to make significant change in the global warming pattern? Will these changes even last by the end of the year?

     We may hope to lean toward saying yes. According to NASA and the European Space Agency, the amount of nitrogen dioxide has decreased drastically since January when the outbreak started in China. Also, in China, carbon emission rates are 25% lower than they normally are this time of year. Additionally, the air traffic on a global scale has decreased over 4% during the month of February. And some cities in the United States have seen up to a 50% drop in vehicular motor traffic. The halting of many business and manufacturing productions and the reduction in personal travel has led to these declines.

     While this temporary halt in our lives means that less carbon dioxide is being emitted than before, it does not seem to be enough to significantly mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Like many scientists who have compared the COVID-19 pandemic to the 1919 Spanish Influenza, First of all, it is important to examine historical events duringin which the economy and global infrastructure were similarly hindered. During World War II and the 2008 Recession, for example, scientists studying pollutants and air quality had identified small reductions in emissions. These emissions, however, were soon followed by later increases in emissions. Secondly, the economic downturn is temporary, and once this period is over, there will likely be a huge spike in industrial activity and production in order to make up for what was lost over this period of time. It’s also important to remember that small declines in global emissions are not what will solve the issue; cutting and extracting the emissions that have been building up in our atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, according to ABC News, will. 

    The truth is, we don’t know exactly how this pandemic will affect our planet. Collectively adopting new lifestyles such as eco friendly modes of travel, plant-based diets, and transitions to renewable energy could really move the needle towards improving our climate crisis. But will we all commit to these behaviors even after the global pandemic? Can we cut and extract emissions for the long term? Are we focused on real solutions to do this? Only time will tell. 

     Ultimately, we must understand that this pandemic will not be our saving grace. Climate scientist Andrea Dutton said “The real big thing to focus on is cumulative emissions. Until we address that and make the sustainable cuts we need, then we are effectively not solving the problem." Change does not start with COVID-19. Change starts with us.