SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — This planet has been getting its teeth kicked in for along time and with the coronavirus basically shutting down human activity around the world, signs that Mother Nature is resilient are being seen around the globe.
In Wuhan, China, more than 80% of the air pollution has been reduced. Other parts of China have also seen a reduction in air pollution.
The sky is also clearer in other parts of the industrialized world, like North America and Europe. One of the hardest hit areas is Northern Italy, and the reduction in pollution is incredible.
Associate Professor Octavio Aburto, who is a Marine Biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said human activity has reduced dramatically in terms of using transportation like cars, and planes. According to Aburto, because industries have also shut down, CO2 emissions have reduced as pollution declines dramatically.
He said one of the biggest industries being effected is airlines.
"Many planes fly every day. It's huge traffic. You can see no more traffic in the air. Planes produce a lot of air pollution. Airlines are a major industry," he said.
The CO2 that's in the atmosphere eventually makes its way back into the oceans.
"So when we reduce the pollution we are reducing the CO2 that is coming into the ocean. We are already seeing the benefits. For example, places like Venice in Italy the water is more transparent and now we can see actually what life can be in the Venice channels like fish or even dolphins. Now we are seeing videos of dolphins playing in the channels. When you give nature a rest, nature comes back," said Aburto.
Even a small break from human activity can show the resilience of nature is very high. Many of the plants and animals can come back and will produce a healthier environment that will detonate positive changes.
This pandemic has put the brakes on the industrialized world giving the planet a chance to breathe and perhaps give us a chance to see what could be.
