Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash
Since sheltering in place we’ve noticed the skies are clearer, the air is fresher, and nature is flourishing. In California, vehicle traffic has decreased by as much as 50% and air traffic has fallen by as much as 89%. The use of BART has dropped by 90% and traffic across the Oakland Bay Bridge is down 70%. Global environmental changes are even visible from space. We’re seeing amazing recovery after just six weeks, but the earth is far from being back to normal. If anything, the quarantine has been a wake-up call for how bad things have gotten. Humans are on a massive time-out, and by seeing the direct results of our unsustainable actions in live time we’ve been given a rare opportunity to see how things are supposed to be.
Rob Jackson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and the chair of the Global Carbon Project says,“We don't want tens of millions of people being out of work as a path to decarbonizing our economy. This isn't the way we want to reduce our fossil fuel emissions.” But he is quick to concede that “The virus provides a glimpse of just how quickly we could clean our air with renewables.” A New York Times article entitled “Oil Companies Are Collapsing, but Wind and Solar Energy Keep Growing” says, “The renewable business will continue to grow in 2020 and next year while oil, gas and coal companies struggle financially or seek bankruptcy protection. Wind turbines and solar panels produce electricity more cheaply than natural gas and coal, which makes them appealing to both electric utilities and investors.” (Find out how to switch to green power using your utility.)
Since oil is the biggest source of carbon emissions that heat up our planet, optimists hope the positive new drops could be the beginning of a trend and even the end of oil, but we are at the mercy of impactful political decisions. A recent article in Mother Jones succinctly states, “Oil company executives have lobbied Donald Trump for a bailout. Under the cover of the crisis, the White House has rolled back fuel-economy standards for the car industry, the Environmental Protection Agency has stopped enforcing environmental laws, three states have criminalized fossil fuel protesters, and construction has resumed on the KXL oil pipeline."
In addition to voting for politicians that are pro-environment, we can make small changes on the home front that add up over the months and years to come. During the quarantine, some of us may be taking up or expanding sustainable actions such as:
- growing more fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs
- sheet mulching and composting (go here for more on composting)
- canning and pickling garden excess
- raising our own chickens and bees
- eating a more plant-based diet
- making home-baked bread and more recipes from scratch
- supporting local farmers’ markets (check up-to-date status of vendors in Contra Costa)
- expanding CSA and bulk shopping lists
- buying fewer processed foods and nonessential items
- traveling less often
- carpooling, coordinating errands, and “staycationing” more
- driving less and “getting rich slow” by riding bicycles more (this calculator is kind of cool).
All these activities result in using less fossil fuel, spewing less pollution, and producing less waste, so they're sustainable in the long-run for the earth. And they're physically, mentally, and financially healthy behaviors at the personal and community levels as well.
Companies may see how possible and even preferable it is for their employees to work remotely from home offices, either full-time or part-time. Fewer commuters means less traffic and decreased emissions. These sustainable and self-reliant behaviors decrease our collective carbon footprint and may be the silver lining during this very difficult time. If you want to calculate your own carbon footprint, join the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge!
Now more than ever we must rely on science to protect our health and our planet. According to the Global Footprint Network, “Earth Overshoot Day” (the date that human demand for ecological resources and services on nature exceeds what earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in a year) was July 29 in 2019, the earliest date ever. Earth’s Overshoot Day for 2020 will be announced on World Environment Day, June 5. It’ll be interesting to see how the Covid-19 pandemic impacts the calculation.
An NPR article says that since the stay-in-place orders, “Early (worldwide) estimates put global emissions dropping around 4%. Still, that's less than the 7.6% the U.N. says is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.” When the lockdown first occurred, greenhouse gas emissions in Wuhan, China, dropped by around 25%, but since late March air pollution is already rising back up toward previous levels.
If we go back to business as usual, all the environmental gains we’ve made will be reversed. Let’s rejoice at the short-term signs of recovery in nature but learn what we’re doing right so we can adopt or reinforce behaviors that continue to heal our planet long after we’ve put our masks away.
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