EDITORIAL - In case you didn’t know, it’s World Environment Day

Believe it or not, COVID-19 is good for the environment.

While it was bad for humans because it caused deaths as well as income losses, job losses, and untold misery for those who had to stay away from loved ones, it allowed nature to repair many areas around the world after many humans had to limit or even entirely abandon their destructive activities for fear of catching the virus.

Air and water quality became acceptable in many areas of the world where industries that caused heavy pollution were put to a halt. Wildlife and vegetation flourished in areas that were previously abused by human activity.

We should do our best to make sure the gains our environment was able to make during the pandemic will not be lost once the majority of us resume our usual human activities.

Because, as previously mentioned in our Earth Day editorial, there is another threat looming after this pandemic.

We aren’t talking about multiples waves of COVID-19 or an entirely new virus. This time it’s an environmental threat. Specifically, the threat of tons and tons of medical waste we threw away after we used them to fight against COVID-19.

It’s easy to overlook today’s occasion given our priorities. As most of us have been under quarantine restrictions for more than two months, most likely what’s at the forefront of the mind of many of us is to catch up with work and business.

However, we should be warned that we abuse and ignore taking care of our environment to our own peril.

If there is anything that our frequent experience with floods teaches us, it’s that our surroundings will always get back at us one day. We would do well not to return to our destructive ways.