The coronavirus pandemic has forced many people to work remotely. For human beings this time has been rather stressful, but what’s it like from Mother Earth’s perspective? With reduced human activity, skies have cleared up and pollution has gone down. Things seem to be going smoothly for the planet! But will this last? Well, we have seen something similar during the 2007 Great Recession of the United States. Carbon emissions plummeted because people weren’t consuming as much goods. However, when the economy started growing, there was a peak in carbon emissions. History has a tendency to repeat itself. Today, we can expect to see a similar trend when the economy reopens and people return to their jobs.  Armed with this knowledge, we can make conscientious, sustainable decisions for our collective futures. 

Written and reported by Bahareh Sorouri.

References:

1. Crist, Megan. What the coronavirus means for climate change. New York Times. March 27, 2020.

2. Siegal, Ethan. The simplest explanation of global warming ever. Forbes. January 2, 2019.

3. Feng, K., Davis, S., Sun, L. et al. Drivers of the US CO2 emissions 1997–2013. Nat Commun 6, 7714 (2015). 

4. Starry skies emerge amid life under coronavirus lockdown. CBS News. April 11, 2020.