UTTRI faculty associate Professor I. Daniel Posen thinks that habit-changing pandemic protocols may lead to longer-term, environmentally friendly changes in behaviour.
“Seeing is believing,” he says in an article by CBC Kids News, April 22, 2020.
“For people to see improvements in air quality is powerful,” said Posen. “When we stop driving, the air quality actually gets better. You sort of almost need to see it happen in order to internally believe it.”
Similarly, Posen said that adapting to physical distancing could show people that “we can do things without having to travel.”
“If people realize we don’t have to drive to work every day, that could have a positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions.”
Like some climate strikers, Posen said this pandemic also demonstrates our capacity for quick and drastic action.
Read the full article “Happy Earth Day! The planet’s air is cleanest in years, but will it last?” CBC Kids News, April 22, 2020.