It’s hard to see any positives to COVID-19. Your grandmother’s Facebook posts may tell you that this is an opportunity to connect with your family and put down your phones, but, as the meme goes, “people are dying, Kim!” It’s almost cruel to speak of the novel coronavirus with any sort of positive spin. But the truth is, there’s benefits–for the entire planet.
Whales
We make oceans a worse place. It’s true: the sonic disruption from human water traffic stresses out ocean life, making it harder for them to reproduce. But since COVID-19, that’s gone down; similarly, after 9/11 ship traffic also slowed dramatically. Back then, Canadian researchers discovered that the stress levels of endangered North American right whales in the Bay of Fundy quickly went down–in a matter of days. It will probably do so again. And it’s not just whales. Any animal that uses sound to travel underwater could be impacted. This includes dolphins, squids and other invertebrates, and fish. Our sounds can result in the inability of these animals to communicate–we drown them out. In addition, there are physical effects. Besides stress, marine animals can suffer deafness, brain hemorrhaging, or even death. A researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology says our noise is a “living hell” for these animals. (1, 2)
Air
The air is getting better because much of our industry in afflicted areas has shut down. NASA and the European Space Agency noticed a drop of NO2 in the atmosphere over Wuhan after the lockdown–in the range of 10-30%. There was also a 10% drop over Italy because of COVID-19. Claus Zehner, of the ESA says that there will most likely be a “reduction of greenhouse gases over this timeframe. This would have to be investigated in detail.” But, he assures us, “this will be done. There will be publications on this for sure. People are working on it already.” And they are. The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air says that CO2 was decreased by 25% in the month of February. CREA’s lead analyst, Lauri Myllyvirta, says, “this is more dramatic than anything else that I’ve seen in terms of the impact on emissions.” (3,4)
Human Beings
It’s true–COVID-19 is having an effect on human lives, and it’s not entirely negative. Pushpam Kumar, the United Nations Environmental Program’s Chief Environmental Economist, says there’s a trade-off analysis to be made. Yes, the virus killed many, many, thousands of people in China. As a result, however, the Hubei province was locked down. That lockdown, according to researchers at Stanford, may help between 50,000 – 75,000 live longer lives. The reason? Reduction in air pollution. Boston’s Kenmore Square had a volume level of 68 decibels–during rush hour. It averages 90. A subway train produces over 95 decibels, the volume that can lead to hearing damage over time. This is trade-off analysis: we may be dying from a virus, but those of us who survive could have healthier lungs and ears–and maybe live longer. (5, 6) We’d never want to trade certain lives for our own, but in these crazy times, it does make you reflect on if there are ways we can live to better serve ourselves and the planet.
