The coronavirus pandemic is a very strange, uncertain time for us all.
The news cycle seems to be rolling updates of terror, and every information push notification is met with a fresh sense of dread.
People are losing jobs, people are losing homes, people are losing lives. It’s horrific.
But there is a small glimmer of good news that’s come as an impact of the world largely going into isolation; the planet is having a chance to breathe, and wildlife is being restored.
This isn’t to dismiss the severities of the pandemic at all, but it’s good to have a small soothing break from the constant horror, isn’t it? In times of uncontrollable anxiety, it can help to look at good news.
Venice has been hitting headlines over the past year due to the overwhelming amount of overtourism weighing down its tiny streets and canals. Home to 55,000 residents, Venice was seeing visitors of up to 20 million a year.
Of course, Italy is going through an awful time at the moment and experiencing unbearable loss. But as the population isolates, as traffic stops and water imports slow down, the canals have been coming back to life.
‘The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom,’ a spokesperson for the Venice mayor’s office told CNN. ‘It’s because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water’s surface.’
Similar effects have been seen further south, in Sardinia, where residents have posted glorious footage of dolphins returning to the ports, as the water traffic subsides temporarily.
While in Northern Italy, the amount of air pollution above the Lombardy region (which includes Milan) has dropped substantially. Less traffic and thus less burning of fuels is truly giving the air a break, and the differences are noticeable from satellites.
Researchers in New York have also told the BBC that their early calculations have shown the level of carbon monoxide emissions in the area reducing by as much as 50%.
In Krakow, residents are enjoying looking out to see the Tatra mountains again, which were previously covered by the city’s smog.
Rebecca Arendall Franks, currently quarantined in Wuhan, has shared her joy at being able to hear birdsong in Wuhan for the first time.
‘Right now I hear birds outside my window (on the 25th floor),’ she said.
‘I used to think there weren’t really birds in Wuhan, because you rarely saw them and never heard them.
‘I now know they were just muted and crowded out by the traffic and people.
‘All day long now I hear birds singing. It stops me in my tracks to hear the sound of their wings.’
Yes, we’re living in uncertain and very anxious times, and pictures of pretty scenery of course don’t reduce the severely negative impact that Covid-19 is having on people worldwide – but it’s nice to take a breather from the bad news, sometimes, and look at a tiny sliver of something good.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/21/coronavirus-uk-self-isolation-bringing-nature-back-life-12433711/?ITO=squid
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