The contribution of 2020 to clean air

Clean air, when those two words are said some of us may wonder what that is. Yes, as sad as it may be most of us have not experienced true clean air. Living in a large city has exposed us to many toxins in the atmosphere, making us unaware of what clean is. “Crisp and clean”, is a phrase people use to describe clean air and this might make you wonder what clean air really is. However, as a result of the pandemic and a worldwide lockdown, our atmosphere has become less polluted. 

All over the world including right here in Canada, the atmosphere has become a little more cleaner. In some countries like India, significant changes have come from decreased activity due to this pandemic. Due to the decrease in thick air pollution people in India were able to see Mount Everest from the midst after 20 years. As this change is very noticeable, slight changes have also occurred right here, even though it might not be as drastic as seeing Mount Everest after 20 years, there have been some changes. Look out your window or walk outside with your mask on, in the evening, you may notice the stars in more abundant numbers. 

Before COVID struck if one was lucky they would be able to see one or two stars on a clear night but today you can see stars in great numbers. Don’t believe me look up at your sky and if I turn out to be wrong consider your surrounding, is it cloudy outside, have manufactories opened again?

While this pandemic has proven catastrophic to both people’s lives and the economy, it has also given us a perspective of how capable we are in terms of helping our environment. Within two months of the pandemic, we were able to see drastic improvements all over the world.  

These past seven months have given our environment time to heal, and something we need to realize is that that a little can go a long way in terms that we can start helping our planet right now. Little by little, we are becoming more aware that we don’t have to wait 10 years or even 5 years to reduce our emissions, but we can start today. 

So, do you want to know what crisp and clean air smells like, well go outside maintain your distance, be smart and if you have no one around take off your mask and breath in. Now you might have a better idea of what “crisp and clean air” is. However, if you cannot do these things just look up at the night sky.