What better day to launch our first open thread than the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! So how is everyone holding up? What lessons have you learned/parallels do see between COVID-19 and climate change? How are things where you live? What trip are you dreaming about taking when this is all over, and how can you lower the carbon impact? - Walt
Happy Earth Day! This pandemic presents tremendous challenges and great opportunities. Recent data across the board show that the ESG investment out-perform the market even during the downturn. This sheds light on what we need to focus on when rebuilding the economy - sustainable investment.
Thanks for starting this thread. I sense that the Coronavirus shutdown(s) can and will have a major impact on how we do things, and could possibly my help us set a trajectory towards reducing GHG, NOx, SOx, and other pollutants. Maybe more people see the benefits of working from home, reducing VMT. Maybe we learn to appreciate our outdoor spaces and recognize the need to create access for ALL of our citizens to those spaces. And maybe we realize the economic opportunities (necessity?) associated with creating and maintaining clean energy options, outdoor spaces, and healthy environments.
I think your cartoon above is a great representation of one strong correlation. Humans do impact our planet and while the reduction of various emissions and pollutions is real during this pandemic, it isn’t sustainable and all will come back once we try to resume life as we remember it. That, I think, is the real lesson to learn. Can we walk away from this pandemic a changed human race or will we go back to the familiar and easy “normal”?
Walter - thanks for opening up this discussion. I suspect that when we depart this stay-home scenario, whether this summer or a year from now, we'll pretty quickly get back to almost-business-as-usual with transportation energy consumption and emissions. But I hope we will take from the pandemic that - wow - we *can* make major changes to society quickly! And we could do it for climate as well - with the will.
The pandemic will hopefully provide some fascinating insight on the effects of the shutdown versus metrics for the climate. I know this is not a very scientific observation but I do note how unusually cold this April has been in New York. Looked back at last year's temperatures and confirmed it wasn't just in my head. Is it just an unusual weather pattern or is there some impact due to the global industrial slow down? I think we will see some interesting wide spread studies in the coming years that give us some direct insight into the effect of this shock on the planet's environment. This could perhaps also give us even more effective plans to mitigate our impact on the planet.
Earth Day Open Thread: How you doin?
Happy Earth Day! This pandemic presents tremendous challenges and great opportunities. Recent data across the board show that the ESG investment out-perform the market even during the downturn. This sheds light on what we need to focus on when rebuilding the economy - sustainable investment.
Walter:
Thanks for starting this thread. I sense that the Coronavirus shutdown(s) can and will have a major impact on how we do things, and could possibly my help us set a trajectory towards reducing GHG, NOx, SOx, and other pollutants. Maybe more people see the benefits of working from home, reducing VMT. Maybe we learn to appreciate our outdoor spaces and recognize the need to create access for ALL of our citizens to those spaces. And maybe we realize the economic opportunities (necessity?) associated with creating and maintaining clean energy options, outdoor spaces, and healthy environments.
I think your cartoon above is a great representation of one strong correlation. Humans do impact our planet and while the reduction of various emissions and pollutions is real during this pandemic, it isn’t sustainable and all will come back once we try to resume life as we remember it. That, I think, is the real lesson to learn. Can we walk away from this pandemic a changed human race or will we go back to the familiar and easy “normal”?
Walter - thanks for opening up this discussion. I suspect that when we depart this stay-home scenario, whether this summer or a year from now, we'll pretty quickly get back to almost-business-as-usual with transportation energy consumption and emissions. But I hope we will take from the pandemic that - wow - we *can* make major changes to society quickly! And we could do it for climate as well - with the will.
The pandemic will hopefully provide some fascinating insight on the effects of the shutdown versus metrics for the climate. I know this is not a very scientific observation but I do note how unusually cold this April has been in New York. Looked back at last year's temperatures and confirmed it wasn't just in my head. Is it just an unusual weather pattern or is there some impact due to the global industrial slow down? I think we will see some interesting wide spread studies in the coming years that give us some direct insight into the effect of this shock on the planet's environment. This could perhaps also give us even more effective plans to mitigate our impact on the planet.
Excellent!