What We Have Learned About the Environment During This Pandemic

I keep reading and hearing news stories of how the environment has improved during the pandemic. It's great to see that the water has cleared and fish have returned to the canals of Venice. But when things return to normal or even a "new normal," it will return to its polluted state and the fish will leave again. Air pollution has been reduced in many parts of the world, but the pollution is much the same in places, like Houston, where fossil fuels power electricity and industry.

I read that greenhouse gases have been reduced about 20%, which sounds great, but that still is not enough to turn the progression of climate change in the other direction. And, of course, once the economy returns to normal, that reduction will be erased more quickly than it appeared.

So what have we learned?

Generally, we have been reminded that the environment can often heal itself if we stop punishing it. But in order to make real change, we would need more than emergency pandemic conditions. 

Staying with air pollution, the pandemic caused some industries to shut down but it was the reduced use of cars, trucks and planes that made a difference. Obviously, that will not - can not - continue. What would need to happen to see improvement long term is a large move to alternative, non-polluting, sources of energy. We have known that for several decades but even a pandemic did not make us move significantly towards that goal.

I fear that the lessons presented have not been learned.