Climate Change in the Time of Coronavirus
Image description: Illustration ‘Mother Nature’ by Maria Clara Liuzzi (Instagram: @artbyclara_x )
Maria Clara Liuzzi (@MariaClaraL13) is a final-year PhD student in Cancer Sciences, studying the development of drugs for the treatment of brain tumours. She is passionate about science communication, and a creator of art illustrations to share positivity and awareness, especially on themes such as medicine, mental health and ecology.
We are experiencing unprecedented times and are presented every day with the harsh reality of this pandemic. Covid-19 is now spread all over the world; we are adjusting our habits to this new quarantined life, trying to stay focused on our own work but inevitably ending up distracted with the latest Covid news, briefings, and, for us curious researchers, the huge amount of scientific discoveries shared on an everyday basis. Last but not least, we can’t help but worry about ourselves and loved ones, especially when they’re far away.
Covid-19 has become the centre not only of our lives, but also of scientific interest, while all the other diseases and urgent matters seem to have become secondary, they’re “not a hot topic, not cool anymore”.
Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, they have not magically disappeared, indeed they are more urgent than ever, so it’s on ourselves to give them the importance they deserve, and to push for our governments and world leaders to guarantee us a better future.
In terms of climate, we can all appreciate how a relatively short lock-down can have a positive effect on air, water and soil quality. Images from around show differences that are visible with the naked eye.
This is good news, and shows that we are still in time to change the future of our kids and grandkids. There is hope that all those ‘before’-and-‘after’ pictures will demonstrate the importance of protecting planetary health. But we cannot just wait and hope for the best…everyone can play their part, take action and become a climate change advocate.
In times like this, those of us who care for the environment are already concerned over some of the inevitable choices forced by the nature of this infectious disease, like the pause in the collection of compostable waste or recyclables, , as well as the increased in single-use PPE (Personal protective Equipment) in hospitals etc.
But we must remember how lucky we all are to live in a well-developed Country. There are so many other places where being a vulnerable person is very risky, even without a pandemic: places lacking of good infrastructures, suffering from water scarcity and food insecurity, where there are high number of refugees and ongoing battles with diseases other than Covid..Climate change is hitting those poorer countries harder.
Climate change is not the cause of infectious diseases like Covid-19 but acts as a multiplier: Covid-19 is the result of n interaction between humans, animals and environments – similar to what happens with climate change! Warmer temperatures, wild animal markets, intensive factory farming, are all factors of a very complex environmental health equation.
What can the world leaders do to help? There will need to be a substantial work of adaptation and mitigation in place - projecting for the future, modelling, predicting outbreaks, targeting locations for vaccination campaigns, etc.
What can we do to help? Simply DO NO HARM. Learn from the circle of life in nature, where nothing is thrown away but instead is transformed into something useful. Monitor, and seek to reduce, your carbon footprint. Reuse and recycle. Support local eco-friendly and second-hand shops. Join online movements of strike like Fridays For Future. And follow the work of inspiring people doing inspiring things, like the Glasgow University Environmental Sustainability Team (GUEST), students employed by the university to work on improving the environmental practice of the university. Follow them on Twitter @UofGGUEST and Facebook “GUEST - Glasgow University Environmental Sustainability Team” to stay updated on their work or get involved in their campaigns.
We have all learnt the importance of “following the Science” during this Covid-19 pandemic… what we need to remember is that Climate Change is real, and is also Science! We must all fight together and show we care about our Planet Earth.
Find out about the projects GUEST are undertaking around campus and how you can get involved. Or read about the University’s approach to climate change and results from their recent staff and student survey.
