No one was expecting a pandemic to occur in the last two years. That’s why, when Covid-19 hit, it caught everyone by surprise. Governments and individuals did what they could to stop Covid-19‘s spread but it only kept increasing and increasing despite all regulations. Currently, there have been more than 170 million total cases of Covid-19 and while the daily rate has come down significantly, there are still people out there getting tested positive for it.
Covid-19 came and along with it has not only brought the deaths of millions of people but also the crash of the global economy, unemployment, and anxiety. That is if you were to look on the negative side of things. Covid-19 has changed our lifestyle permanently and there is a general doubt instilled inside all of us whether we will be able to go back to living like before after the pandemic ends. However, there is one positive thing that came out of Covid-19 – our environment, after numerous decades, breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as the lockdown for the coronavirus started, all industries were shut down and no one was allowed to drive anywhere outside their home. This significantly reduced the environmental stress we impose on our planet and nature flourished while we stayed inside our homes. Humans finally realized that with the advent of Covid-19 and its lockdown, the environment had a chance to regain its original roots.
This has made us humans more considerate and thoughtful of the environment around us, our nature, and our planet. According to alternativi.fr, people have started using more products that don’t cause pollution and any kind of waste. Truth is, we have become more friendly to our environment and in this article, we’ll talk about how and in what ways.
We have become more aware of our carbon footprints
To state simply, carbon footprints are the effects and amount of carbon that is released by our daily activities and actions as individuals of this planet. Until the coronavirus hit, we didn’t pay much attention to our enormous carbon footprints. We should have, because these footprints contributed daily to pollute the environment with our carbon emissions.
After the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed, we were made aware of the pollution and environmental harm we were causing to the planet without even realizing it, as news sources stated that pollution levels are at an all time-low since the last 50 years. Since no one was allowed to drive vehicles and all the industries were shut down, air pollution was decreased by almost 30% with some parts even reaching 40% because both of those factors are major causes of air pollution.
Even NO2 and carbon emissions were decreased by almost 22%, a feat that environmentalists have been trying to achieve for decades. All of these numbers have made us realize how much harm we have been doing and moved us to change for the better.
Consumers have started buying local and organic produce
When environmentally aware people urged everyone around them to shop locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, while some people did change their habits, it mostly fell on deaf ears. Now, with the big supermarkets and shopping stores getting shut off during the lockdown, people have finally turned their eye towards local vendors.
Most people don’t realize that there is a big difference between commercially grown fruits and vegetables and the ones grown organically. One of the most vital differences is that artificial methods like powders and injections are often used to grow fruits and vegetables at a rapid rate while organically grown produce is mostly made entirely naturally. Even though organic produce is more expensive than its commercial counterpart, it’s also more nutritious and healthy.
According to experts, it has become significantly more important to keep our diet healthy to bolster our immune system so that we can resist the virus even if we get tested positive for it. The best way of doing this right now is opting for organic produce grown by local suppliers that also helps their business out in this economic crisis.
People have become more environmentally aware and friendly
We all watched with fascination from our homes as wildlife began roaming our deserted roads and industrial areas which were previously frequented by us humans. Our ozone layer too finally started healing and growing after depleting so many years. Seeing all this, according to a report, about 70% of people had a wake-up call from nature. Immediately after this call they have ensured that whatever their actions and activity are, it causes as little harm to the environment as possible.
Studies have found that many people have realized they’d been wasting large quantities of food and have reduced it considerably. We have started using paper and plastic products more carefully to as limited an extent as possible. Seeing the wildlife roam the streets again, an unconditional affection has risen inside all of us making us choose ethical options for meat and some even turning vegan to avoid meat and all animal products entirely. We have reduced our water wastage which has in turn dramatically decreased water pollution, the prime example of which is Venice whose waters turned blue and vibrant again after being muddled for a long time.
We have realized the value of friends and family and it has affected us deeply how granted we once took them. With the rising toll of death, Covid-19 made us more fond of our families and attachments. The things we took once for granted, like taking a walk in the park, meeting our friends outside, or even just going for trips somewhere far in our cars or bikes – these are things we all now cherish dearly.
Fortunately, these environmental changes are not limited to the period of Covid-19 itself. These environmental-friendly practices are here to stay because the majority of people have said they are not going to stop being environmentally friendly even after the pandemic ends.
Conclusion
There are numerous ways Covid-19 has caused us to be more environmentally friendly and realize nature’s value. We hope this article helped you out, and if it did, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.
