COVID-19 is a pandemic. However, it does not only bring unfortunate results but also beneficial results. Some societal problems were reformed due to additional and trivial effects of COVID-19, paradoxically. One of them is an environmental issue. The pandemic has not only affected the human society but also the environment.

▲ The nature is recovering steadily.

The Earth's environment is starting to recover slowly. Actually, there are lots of news reports related to this. In Venice, the water quality has improved, so some citizens uploaded to SNS pictures of the clear water of Venice. The atmosphere also became clear. Experts said that the peak daily decline of carbon dioxide emission which is 17 percent happened on the 7th day of April. Fine dust also decreased, so many people around the world are seeing a clear sky. Moreover, there were many cases in which wild animals appeared. For example, a herd of flamingos was found in India, and a brown bear appeared in Spain National Park.

▲ River of Venice became clear while people are staying at their homes.

They are marvelous results for people, but maybe everyone knows the reason. Since many countries are practicing blockade to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the production movement has decreased a lot. For instance, in China, plenty of factories stopped operating for four weeks. As a result, the carbon dioxide emission from those factories decreased. In addition, carbon dioxide from transportation has remarkably diminished since people are at their homes. As the environment is recovering, and people are advised to stay at their homes, animals are seen wandering around. Also, because of the decrease in transportation, people can see a clear sky.

▲ Decreased fine dust made the earth clear sky.

The recovery of the environment is a relieving result; however, experts say that this is a transient phenomenon. According to Doctor Kyung Sun lee of KOSEN, the decrease of greenhouse gas emission is a transient effect, and a rebound effect may happen, which means it will increase after the end of COVID-19. In order not to worsen the condition of the environment of the Earth, people need to remember this phenomenon and have awareness of the problem. Also, we must remember that we can prevent bigger problems with our endeavor.

June 28th, 2020

By Kang Jine Ie