Quarantine should last longer for the sake of the planet

April 28, 2020| Written By: Dawson Banna

While the majority of the world is sitting back waiting for time to pass, the planet has been able to make some major changes due to our absence. With our current Coronavirus pandemic, government officials around the world have advised us to stay home in order to stop the spread of this deadly virus. 

With the absence of humans, the earth has been able to make a small reset as pollution levels have begun to fall in major cities around the world. According to and article from The Guardian “countries are experiencing temporary falls in carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide of as much as 40%, greatly improving air quality and reducing the risks of asthma, heart attacks, and lung disease.” 

With so much worry going on with the world, it’s important to focus on something positive to motivate us through this tough time. However, it also makes me think if we were only gone for one month and there was this much change, it shows how much impact we have on the planet. In an ideal world, I would propose we could take a month out of every year to quarantine for the sake of the planet, but this isn’t a Rom-Com where everything is flowers and rainbow farts. 

We’ve taken small steps to change our habits as we’ve banned plastic straws and glorified Hydro Flasks, but we need to think bigger and see how much we can actually change together. Unless we make a change soon we might have to quarantine for longer than a month because the air outside will be more damaging than a pandemic. As we come together to stop the spread of this virus, we need to come together and make a change for the planet we call home. 

When this quarantine comes to an end we have to think about the major changes that have happened due to us coming together. We all have share a common experience being in lockdown and although everyone has different backgrounds and beliefs, we came together and agreed that this virus needed to be slowed down. We should focus on slowing down the climate change next.