The effects of global climate change can be felt by everyone. The National Climate Assessment Reports, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, summarized the impacts in the U.S. by region ranging from erosion, drought, insect outbreaks, loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, and intense heat waves.
How has Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacted the global environment?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing reduction in industrial activity and cancelled flights and other journeys, recent NASA satellite measurements have revealed significant reductions in air pollution from gas emissions in regions all over the world.
In China, carbon emissions were down an estimated 18 percent between early February and mid-March, according to CarbonBrief. The European Union has seen declining power demands and depressed manufacturing that could cause emissions to fall by nearly 400 million metric tons this year. The same reductions are expected to be seen in the U.S. as more and more stay-at-home orders force individuals to work from home and travel less.
While we expect that the pandemic shall pass and our economies will begin to re-open, these little blips in time, have shown, perhaps anecdotally, that the Earth is truly amazing and resilient and should serve to demonstrate that the carbon reduction goals will and do have an impact. Perhaps our “new normal” will change the way we conduct business and help to further reduce our carbon footprint.
What is being done on construction projects to help this crisis?
To combat the effects of climate change, over 1.3 million architects in 124 countries worldwide unanimously adopted the 2050 Imperative, authored by Architecture 2030, a declaration to eliminate CO2 emissions in the built environment by 2050. It further states that failing to act now on climate change will put future generations, and those already affected by extreme weather, natural disasters, and poverty, at great risk.
As a result of this knowledge, more projects are incorporating Net Zero or carbon reduction strategies during the construction process.
Virtual Earth Week
Much like employees and schools, Earth Week also has gone digital amid COVID-19 and social distancing mandates.
While plans to mark this anniversary have changed due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are resources available to help individuals support Earth Day. To find an online event near you, click on their interactive map: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/#map
