Pandemic Perk

It took a global pandemic to start repairing the damage that human intervention has taken on our Earth. As people are forced inside, we have been able to see our natural systems flourish and the negative effects of pollution diminish. With less human movement, we are seeing clear waters and rising animal populations for the first time in years, in places like the Venice Canal. But it should not take a global pandemic forcing everyone inside to make these changes.

There are steps we can take to begin moving toward a cleaner future, without having to change our whole routine. Small steps are a great place to start and can have monumental effects if everyone works together. As seen in your article “How COVID-19 Could Help Us Get Through the Climate Crisis,” this pandemic has been a calling to mobilize together and make change. Just like the human race is working together to slow the effects of COVID-19, there is hope for a cleaner future if we cooperate and make changes as a globe.

One significant change we can make to work towards this goal is moving towards clean, renewable energy. CALPIRG, a student-run and funded nonprofit at UCSB, is working to commit their campus to 100 percent clean, renewable energy sector wide with their 100 percent Clean Campus Campaign. These steps as a community are just a start to work towards a clean future. The pandemic may slow, but climate change is not going away until we start taking these steps.