The Earth strikes back

PLANES are grounded. Streets are empty. Cities deserted. In China, emissions have fallen by a quarter. In New York, pollution has been halved. Water channels have become crystal clear. Sea turtles, finally, can nest in peace. Shorn of crowds and boats, in some places you can see the bottom of the sea. The covid19 pandemic has given nature a respite. But it has also left many to question: Is the pandemic nature’s response to man’s treatment of the environment?

Such a question might seem a bit of a reach. It assumes some kind of mystical notion of the Earth, personified, seeking retribution. And yet the question has a basis in logic. Wednesday’s observance of Earth Day and the lingering uncertainties about the origins of covid19 have placed a magnifying glass on this issue.

Scientists have long had reason to interrogate the role of human behaviour in the lead-up to pandemics. Ebola led many to question whether road building, mining, hunting, and logging had a hand to play in the seemingly sudden emergence of that disease.

These types of activities have increased the interplay between animals and human society, creating a fertile breeding ground. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of new or emerging diseases that infect humans originate in animals.

And animal-borne and other infectious diseases are on the rise: MERS, Lassa fever, Nipah, Ebola, SARS, bird flu, Zika, and now covid19, caused by a novel coronavirus. Factors such as land use, the prevalence of “wet markets,” the consumption of wild meat, and increases in the density of populations mean more fuel is being added to the fire.

The carbon industry has also put nature under stress in other ways. Emissions have had a butterfly effect. Increased temperatures have offset delicate balances. Ice caps are melting. Seemingly small changes now result in big problems for some species and cause others to thrive. For example, climate chaos has wreaked havoc on the bee population, while sargassum growth has exploded. The weed has become an annual visitor to our shores since 2011, with massive piles recorded in 2011, 2015, and 2018.

Some of the effects are far less subtle.

We’ve seen unusual patterns in storms and hurricanes, deadly tornadoes, like those this week in southern US states, gigantic bush fires in both the US and Australia, unprecedented levels of flooding. And we are being told to brace for more of the same: this year’s hurricane season, less than six weeks away, will be above average. Top forecasters predict 16 named storms and up to four Category 3, 4, or 5 storms.

It turns out that the stress we’ve placed on nature has come back to bite us. The pandemic has sucked up scarce resources and triggered serious economic malaise. It will take leadership now to prepare for the upcoming season. Get ready.