Monday, April 6, 2020

Coronavirus Mother Nature Fights Back


"The Earth is shaking less under coronavirus," said the CBS News headline on April 6, 2020.

"Goats take over town amid coronavirus lockdown," CNN, March 31, 2020.
 
"L.A.'s Air Quality Is Better Than Its Been in Decades," Los Angeles Magazine, April 6, 2020.

Article after article is coming out about how quickly mother nature is healing herself and throwing off human's grip as we are forced to stay at home due to the coronavirus. Now if the coronavirus is some ancient bat disease instead of an escaped bio weapon from a Wuhan lab, mother nature really is giving us a kick in the pants.

Everyday, the people of Los Angeles are reminded of how beautiful our city can be. When we look outside our windows and see the bright blue skies and crisp outlines of the city's landscape rather than blurry shapes in front of the usual dingy sky we remember why we love our great city.

The stay-at-home orders have had almost everyone in Los Angeles travel less, whether for business or pleasure. This means fewer cars on the road. NPR said truck traffic has decreased 21% (maybe those are the toilet paper trucks). And there are fewer planes in the sky. For three days after 9/11 when all commercial flights were grounded in the U.S, the United States warmed 3.6 degrees according to a news report from WTAJ News on 9/11/19.  I wonder how much warmer we will be after months of decreased flights.

As if the coronavirus was not enough, mother nature is employing a second method of enforcing the stay-at-home order in Los Angeles. After a dry February, rain has been falling on Los Angeles throughout March and April. So much rain fell on March 22 that it broke a single day record. And as any Angeleno knows, when it rains in LA we panic and stay home.
 
So embrace what nature has to show us: clean air, wildlife running amok, and especially for Angelenos, a less shakier earth.  Soon enough we will be back in the traffic and smog of the city we call home.

Take care and be safe.

Posts: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday

2 comments:

Anna said...

Interesting that you say the earth is shaking less. During our stay at home policy, maybe last week or so, I felt an earthquake centered at Anza, CA. I believe it was a 3 or 4. I was eating dinner at the time so that was why I felt it. I believe the earth will continue to shake no matter what.

John Peters II said...

I agree, but hopefully a little less so.