Building Back Better Means Building Back Greener

As the World Health Organization has stated in the post from our recent story, building back better means building back greener. Even though this pandemic has foiled dreams and destroyed plans for all who have been affected, one pro to this phenomenon is that we humans have gotten a rare chance to catch a glimpse of what the world would be like without us. Without most industrial, urban, and commercial activity, the Earth, in our absence, has become a much greener place.

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Animals have begun to more bravely roam about, both in national parks and in the wild. Air and water pollution rates have been drastically reduced as a result of the sharp decline in motor-vehicle traffic. Turtles have come back to beaches to lay their eggs safely without the disturbances of human activity. The Himalayas are now visible above Nepalese clouds. Many, many natural improvements have been made, all part of the Earth taking charge of this rare opportunity to instinctively and slowly repair herself.

In some ways, the disease has become the wake up call for humans to do something about fixing their only home. “We need to act together in the interests of the health and welfare of humanity not just for the coming weeks and months, but for many generations ahead," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, in a press release celebrating Earth Day, on 22 April. The WHO and various other global organizations are calling upon governments to implement whatever they can to help the Earth recover in this little window of opportunity, and all we need to do is cooperate. To do this, we must take care of ourselves, and ensure to the best of our ability that we don’t get this disease, in order to decrease the mistrust that our government has on our citizens who they currently suspect will go out and spread the virus like a bunch of irresponsible, mischievous children, and increase their focus towards implementing laws and regulations that will work towards fixing our home.