Five eco lessons I’ve learnt in lockdown – Wicked Leeks
While the collective trauma of this global pandemic is distressing, the enforced pause on ‘normal’ life has given nature a chance to recover with cleaner air, louder dawn choruses, quieter oceans and fewer contrails cross the blue skies.
As a biologist, I believe we’re living through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a greener future. Lockdown has sharpened my focus and instead of reverting to life pre-coronavirus, I hope for a massive step-change in behaviour and attitude. Politicians and business leaders take note – the transition to net zero carbon emissions is absolutely possible if we act now. While mitigating climate change won’t involve extreme social distancing and self-isolation, there are valuable environmental lessons to be learnt from this experience.
Imagine an empty jam jar. If you fill it with sand first, it’s really difficult to then fit in the bigger pebbles and rocks on top. But if you put the rocks and pebbles that represent the more important environmental priorities in first, the smaller grains of sand will fit in the spaces around them. In order to adapt, we need a rethink.
