Nature and the Great Outdoors is back on the map!
While spending much of our time isolated indoors this last year, nature took on significance. People found both refuge and entertainment outdoors, in nature.
In America, the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in July was a reminder that protecting national parks is something everyone agrees on. The last time Congress granted this much money to be spent on national parks was in the 1950s.
Electric vehicles are surging
Cars that run on electricity, instead of fossil fuels, have become more popular in the last decade. Thanks to technological improvements, lower prices and government subsidies, the number of electric cars on the world’s roads have amplified from a mere 17 000 back in 2010 to an estimated 7.2 million today.
There is a ray of sunshine at the end of the fossil fuel tunnel!
Renewable sources are growing fast all over the world. In 2020’s first half, wind- and solar-generated electricity rose by 14% and for the absolute first time, accounted for nearly 10% of all electricity.
Whales showed signs of recovery after being in need of saving for a long time
After nearly being extinct, Blue whales are spotted more than ever before. BBC writes ”The scientists 23-day survey counted 55 animals – a total that is unprecedented in the decades since commercial whaling ended.”
In the same waters (the waters near South Georgia), humpback whales have made a dramatic recovery. They have almost rebuilt their pre-hunting populations.
Attention goes to the ocean
National Geographic writes; two weeks ago, 14 nations announced that they would sustainably manage 100% of their coastal waters by 2025. Protecting an ocean area totalling roughly the size of Africa. All of the countries promised to combat overfishing, invest in reducing pollution and set aside 30% of its national waters as marine protected areas by 2030.
The world has caught a glimpse of a cleaner earth
An “andropause” is what scientists call it, the global cease in human activity since the pandemic broke out. The air quality has gotten a little better because both air and vehicular travel declined immensely since March of this year. For example, parts of India that are usually clouded with air pollution reported being able to see the Himalayas. The oceans also went quiet, giving marine life a much-needed pause from human activities.
Not only that, the andropause gave scientists a fantastic opportunity to study ecosystems devoid of humans. A control against which human impact could be more precisely assessed.
