Flattening the curve (not only the pandemic's curve) by: Jake Ryan
With all of the news stations talking mostly about the negatives of COVID-19, I thought it would be good to share some other good news! The major positive to social distancing is the positive effect on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. With all of these busses, cars, trains, etc. which are constantly in use, there is a lot of negative emissions coming from them. The amount of CO2 in the air is on a fast slope upwards since the 1950s and now, this curve has the opportunity to level out! According to the Seattle Times, "China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter followed by the U.S., saw at the height of its economic shutdown during the pandemic an estimated 25 percent drop in emissions...." This is a substantial drop in emissions in the world's greatest contributor to global warming. Similarly, in Seattle, there has also been a dramatic drop in emissions. However, this is not enough to actually flatten the curve. The Seattle Times also states that "Even ...