Holly Larson '23 Staff Writer
Michaela Wall '23 Staff Writer
On March 12, 2020, the lives of those in Howard County and all over the world changed. On this date, the world was in the beginning stages of lockdown. Seven months later, global environmental health has improved.
As seen on the World Air Quality Index Project official site, the amount of poor air quality days in 2020 have decreased substantially when compared to 2018 and 2019. According to Ms. Danaher, a biology teacher at Howard, “People are inside their houses; they're not driving as much so I think that would have a major impact on air quality.” The lack of cars being on the road reduces the carbon output, helping the air quality. Adding to the positive impact on the environment is Howard County’s recently adopted policy: The taxing of plastic bags. On October 1, 2020, all stores that provide non-reusable plastic bags began charging five cents per bag at checkout. Depending on the store, customers may have other options such as using paper bags or bringing their own. Ms. Allen, head of the environmental club and science teacher at Howard High, adds, “Our Environmental Club has been doing a phenomenal job advocating for Howard and the greater community to be ‘greener.’ Examples of activities from the last few years include testifying and writing letters in support of Howard County five cent plastic bag fee legislation, an E-technology drive, marker/pen recycling, placement of water conservation posters in the restrooms, and light switch labels in the classroom reminding people to conserve water and electricity.” Now that the plastic bag bill has been enforced, there is hope that more ways of “going green” will be implemented in the community. On a more global scale, Europe has seen climate improvement. In Venice, Italy, the canals have been much clearer since the spring of 2019. When asked about the improvements attributed to shutdowns in Venice, Ms. Danaher explained, “[Boats] have combustion engines so they're pouring out carbon dioxide, which makes the water acidic and it's not good for the waterway, so I'm sure that the boats not being in the water is great for [it]... that's awesome to hear.” A lack of tourists means a lack of boats — boats that can bring in unwanted algae and bacteria, causing the canals to be more polluted and crowded. Pollution rates all over the world are also exceptionally lower than they were this time last year. In Asia and Europe, pollution rates now compared to 2019 records of pollution and polluting air output are down 40%. Since China emits about 50% of the nitrogen dioxide in Asia, this decrease could eliminate future problems that have started to arise. For example, the melting ice in Antarctica means sea levels are rising, but if fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere, there is a better chance that an acceptable global temperature will be maintained. Ms. Danaher added, “[Europe’s impacts] could be a coincidence, it could just be that, you know, we are going into other phases of climate, but I know that the air quality over Europe has also been much better. So it's not just related to our pockets and political.’’ While the planet we live on is fragile, staying home during the shutdown has reduced the damage caused by humans, leaving a stronger, healthier Earth. |