A Breath for the Planet
As some studies claim, in recent weeks there has been a considerable decrease in pollution in the world’s major capitals. But why has the sky regained its blue color? According to Juan Antonio Romero, Director of the Seville Aquarium, “This occurs because emissions decrease as vehicle travel or flight frequency between different destinations are reduced. Air pollution has a very short life and is absorbed by ecosystems after a few weeks, so the air cleans itself. Although this situation will not resolve the climate crisis, it will mean a respite for the planet”.
A respite that nature is taking advantage of to make its way. The first example is the arrival of animals to urban centers. The quarantine has left the streets empty and nature is resurging in places where it couldn’t before. Thanks to social media, we are witnessing some unusual images. From fish returning to completely clean canals in Venice, to hundreds of monkeys in Thailand looking for food, to wild boars walking calmly through the center of Rome or peacocks in the vicinity of El Retiro in Madrid.
The Director of the Seville Aquarium assures that the list of examples of animals that have decided to come out to explore or in search of food is much broader and that it will be now when we can evaluate the impact of our activity on nature. An example is the decrease in animals that die run over on roads or the number of insects that crash into cars, trucks or trains.
In natural parks now there is no noise, no people, now tranquility reigns, so that birds and animals can move without stress and reproduce more easily. Another sector in which nature imposes its reaction capacity is fishing. There are quite a few fishermen who have had to halt their activity during the health crisis, which is causing some fish populations to recover as there is no overfishing.
The current situation shows that nature is capable of regenerating in the most adverse occasions, that when human action is slowed down, animals can thrive.