CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID 19: SURVIVING THE ODDS

 

The last five years have been known to be the warmest or hottest, depending on your choice of words. The sad irony has been the disposition of some world leaders towards climate change and global warming.


Last year 2020 has been the hottest year ever with an almost tie with 2016.
It no news to climate change scholars that the volume of carbon as well as other green house gasses emitted is responsible for global warming.
Despite the havoc caused by the deadly coronavirus, the environment seems to have benefited from the need to stay at home, work from home and restriction of movements, causing pollution especially carbon pollution to reduce significantly.


It is therefore not doubtful that if not for the virus the scale of global warming for 2020 would have been outstanding and unbelievably high.
As we beginning a new year, and I write this, tucked under my blanket shying away from the dry cold of the Nigerian harmatan; a phenomenon I have not enjoyed in a while. I have to ask my self if it’s possible to continue this lifestyle of working from home, even as we pray and expect an end to the deadly COVID 19.


Our actions are what will determine if the planet will heal itself from climate change. We therefore have to be more responsible to the planet.
Sadly, the cold we enjoy, will from what we have learnt, increase the risk of contacting the virus. Thankful we have a vaccine going around. We will survive the disease, but if we do not take responsible action, we might not survive climate change

 

by Olamide Santos

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