yoga: A Deep Breath
How COVID-19 is allowing our Earth to breathe a little easier and what it can tell us about sustainable development.
Hidden in the clouds lies a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Air Quality Index, we are breathing the cleanest and freshest air we’ve experienced in over a decade. And as our air clears, ideas towards sustainable development start to surface within our own communities.
This is because Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are down in all major cities amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. This includes decreases in air gases associated with motor vehicle use and the burning of fossil fuels. A study in Nature Climate Change also predicts that our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have decreased by 17 per cent by April 2020, compared to the mean level in 2019.
Through all these decreases, we have been overlooking the most natural and efficient way to reduce atmospheric CO2 which has been operating since Earth’s first signs of life. Trees. And in this case, anything green really. Even just the Amazon Rainforest (‘The Lungs of the Planet’) absorbs 2 billion tons of CO2 per year, equating to 5 per cent of annual emissions. The importance of trees in capturing CO2 is undisputed, and a few individuals have seen this importance in developing their own sustainable communities.
“It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. ”
The Green Belt Movement is a prime example of sustainable community development. Founded in 1977, the late Professor Wangari Maathai founded this movement which has planted over 51 million trees in Kenya, Eastern Africa. This grassroots environmental organisation continues to empower individuals through community development by conserving the environment and improving livelihoods, with a particular focus on women. The Green Belt Movement encourages women to work together to plant trees to bind their soil and grow seedlings, receiving a small monetary token for their work. And considering studies have shown that just one mature tree absorbs approximately 218 kilograms of CO2 per year, the atmospheric impact of The Green Belt Movement has been enormous.
Now, this doesn’t mean we should all go out and plant 51 million trees to create impact. Sustainable development can start in our communities this is where a community garden comes in. A community garden decreases emissions by limiting supply chains from farms to supermarkets, reduces the use of plastic and each new plant naturally filters the air. Community gardens also offer workshops on sustainability which helps communities learn about the value of the natural world and how we can make our own communities more sustainable.
And these sustainable community gardens are needed now. The Nature Climate Change study predicts that daily CO2 emissions in early April 2020 from COVID-19 lockdowns are comparable to their levels in 2006, putting in perspective the enormous increase in our atmospheric CO2. Also, the current 17 per cent decrease in CO2 is the rate of decrease needed every year for the next decade to limit warming to 1.5-degree Celsius. As individuals, we can teach others about the importance of being environmentally conscious, starting locally as the Green Belt movement did just by planting a single tree.
