2020: Was it All Bad?
Article by Lauren Davidson
With just one month left to go, I’m sure most of us are excited to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. It often seemed as though anything that could go wrong, went wrong this year. However, through all the tragedies, a few positive events occurred. It’s probably difficult to imagine that anything positive came out of 2020, but I’m here to enlighten you on one particular outcome that made this year a little less awful.
Although there is still much room for improvement, our impact on the environment was noticeably less devastating this year compared to recent years. I know this may not seem like the most exciting topic, but considering that the future of this planet depends immensely on how we treat its natural environment today, the environmental impact should be at the top of everyone’s mind.
If you have very limited knowledge of this topic, don’t stress! I’ll briefly walk you through some of the main environmental concerns, and then share how those concerns have been somewhat alleviated this year.
Some primary environmental concerns include air and water pollution, deforestation, and species extinction. These concerns continue to intensify as climate change becomes more and more evident. So how has 2020 helped ease these growing concerns?
Well, for one, global air pollution levels have reduced this year due to decreases in travel. Restrictions and social distancing measures allowed for much less air travel and even less travel by car. This significantly reduced the amount of carbon emissions that pollute the atmosphere. In fact, COVID-19 caused the largest annual decrease of global CO2 emissions since 1900!1
Now obviously the reduction of global air pollution was just a fortunate side effect of the travel restrictions, but there are many initiatives that were executed in 2020 to directly assist in resolving environmental concerns. 4Ocean, a company dedicated to removing one pound of trash from the ocean for every product sold, has recovered over eleven million pounds of trash since 2017.2 Over one-third of that was removed this year alone.
Other companies were just as dedicated to helping mitigate environmental concerns this year. Tentree continued to assist in reforestation and has planted over fifty million trees to date, with a goal of planting one billion trees by 2030.3 The company plants ten trees for every product sold – hence the name “Tentree” – and only offers products made from sustainable materials.
And now onto the final primary environmental concern, species extinction. A warning to any readers with a deep love for animals, this section may evoke strong emotions. Many animals are currently endangered, meaning they face the risk of extinction. Elephants are an unfortunate example. Close to 20,000 elephants are illegally slaughtered each year, mainly for their tusks. The carelessness expressed by poachers only contributes to the elephant’s risk of extinction.
However, one of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) many environmental initiatives is to close Asia’s ivory markets, which will help end the poaching of elephants. During 2020, WWF has focused particularly on shutting down the illegal ivory markets in Thailand.4
Evidently, 2020 has been more than just a series of devastating events; it has provided a sense of hope for the environment. Nevertheless, actions must continue to be taken if we hope to continue this year’s momentum and stand a fighting chance against climate change. There are many ways in which you can help out and reduce your impact on the environment! You can purchase items second-hand, choose products that have less packaging, and avoid single-use items such as take-out containers or cups. Reducing your environmental impact can even be your new year’s resolution!
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