April 22, 2020 marked the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day. A recap of the day’s key messages and events was provided by EarthDay.org, which seeks to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.

Earth Day celebrations this year were conducted from home in most areas due to restrictions on travel and public gatherings associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus lockdown has had some positive effects on the environment though, as summarized by NAEM, a professional organization devoted to environmental stewardship, safe and healthy workplaces, and global sustainability:

1. India: As air pollution plummets to levels unseen in living memory, people share pictures of spotless skies and even Himalayan peaks from cities where the view had been obscured by fog for decades.
2. Italy: Within days of the lockdown in Italy, Venetians began sharing photos that showed fish visible in the lagoon, which usually has boats churning up sediment from the water bed.
3. Los Angeles: LA is seeing some of the cleanest air of any major city in the world.
4. Wildlife: Wildlife sightings are on the rise around the world.
5. Earth’s Seismic Activity: Researchers who study Earth’s movement are reporting a drop in seismic noise that could be the result of transport networks and other human activities being shut down. This could allow detectors to spot smaller earthquakes and boost efforts to monitor volcanic activity and other seismic events.

Photograph by Victoria Palacios on Unsplash.

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