Coronavirus Shutdowns Have Unintended Climate Benefits By: Olivia Enderle

The Coronavirus has impacted the world by storm, resulting in more than 180,000 people infected and killing more than 7,100 worldwide. To prevent the spread and "flatten the curve", many countries have been put on lockdown, meaning that residents should do unnecessary travel to limit contact and overall spread. Although this is gloomy, the environment is unintentionally benefiting from this. Since no one is traveling, no cars, boats, or trucks are producing emissions into the atmosphere. In China, where the virus originated, the restrictions contributed to a 25 percent drop in the country's carbon dioxide emissions. Many other places are experiencing the same drastic drop. In San Fransico, after the state government enacting a shelter in place, the past five days had almost 40 percent lower emissions than the previous year. In New York City, there was a 28 percent drop over the same period, and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue saw a 32 percent decrease. Italy, experiencing the worst of the virus right now, is in lockdown right now. With nobody in the streets, cars, or boats, the water in the famous canals are running clear and dolphins have been seen swimming in the canals which the country hasn't seen in 60 years. Although the effect of Coronavirus is extremely devastating, this is a time for the earth to recover from the contamination that we as humans have produced.