When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, humans had been the only species with reported cases of the disease. While early genetic analyses pointed to horseshoe bats as the evolutionary hosts of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, no reports had yet surfaced indicating it could be transmitted from […]
Like many people in this unusual year, I am adjusting my family’s holiday plans so that we can all be safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. I am an epidemiologist and mother of four with a large extended family. Given the serious nationwide resurgence of COVID-19 infections, gatherings of family and friends over the upcoming […]
A UCLA-led study found neighborhoods with the worst air pollution saw a 60% increase in deaths from COVID-19, compared with communities with the best air quality. By Dan Bacher Below is the press release from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health: LOS ANGELES (April 14, 2021) – A research project led by the UCLA Fielding […]
Around the world, governments have committed more than $12tn to kickstart economies that have been ravaged by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is about 15% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and multiple times more than that put forward in the aftermath of the global financial crisis 10 years ago. At the same time, climate […]
COVID-19 has affected almost all aspects of transportation. For the public sector, economic shutdowns have gutted the tax revenue needed to buy and maintain government vehicle fleets. Perhaps no municipal entity has been hit harder than public transit agencies, which have seen ridership plummet by up to 97%. Some transit operators are close to bankruptcy, while some bus […]
Masks may help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But according to one estimate, if everyone in the United Kingdom used a single-use mask each day for a year, it would create 66,000 tonnes of contaminated waste and 57,000 tonnes of plastic packaging. By Mayuri Wijayasundara, Deakin University The Conversation Face masks are part of […]
Much has been made of the COVID-19 lockdown cutting global carbon emissions. Energy use has fallen over recent months as the pandemic keeps millions of people confined to their homes, and businesses closed in many countries. Projections suggest global emissions could be around 5% lower in 2020 than last year. Flickr/David Clarke Frank Jotzo, Australian […]
Over 500 faith leaders representing different religious backgrounds on Thursday called on Congress to ensure the next legislative coronavirus aid package include a moratorium on utility shutoffs for the duration of the pandemic. “A power, water, and broadband shutoff is not about politics; it is about children, the elderly, people needlessly suffering and dying through […]
With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing the stark limitations of the United States government and some segments of the population in committing to sustained collective action to solve a problem, climate change and environmental justice have often come to the forefront of the conversation. After all, if the nation has failed so miserably at addressing an […]
The numbers of people cycling and walking in public spaces during COVID-19 has skyrocketed. Cities from Bogota to Berlin and Vancouver have expanded bike lanes and public paths to accommodate the extra cycling traffic. In Australia, the New South Wales government is encouraging councils to follow suit. By Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Corinne Le Quéré, University […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the U.S. recycling industry. Waste sources, quantities and destinations are all in flux, and shutdowns have devastated an industry that was already struggling. By Brian J. Love, University of Michigan and Julie Rieland, University of Michigan The Conversation Many items designated as reusable, communal or secondhand have been temporarily barred […]
In a typical summer, millions of Americans head outdoors to national parks, hiking trails and rivers across the U.S. This summer, because of COVID-19 precautions, getting outdoors will be different, although how different isn’t certain. Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park hosted more than 2.5 million visitors in 2019. Anqi Lu/Unsplash, CC BY By B. Derrick […]
Today, we find ourselves in a place we never could have dreamed — asking our travelers to stay home after 31 years of helping them explore the world. While this situation is heartbreaking in so many ways, it also provides the travel industry with the opportunity to pause and reflect on our wrongdoings, and spend this […]
Corn stover (stalks, leaves and cobs) left behind after harvesting becomes a mulch and cover crop for soybeans on a Tennessee farm. Lance Cheung, USDA By David R. Montgomery, University of Washington; Jennifer J. Otten, University of Washington, and Sarah M. Collier, University of Washington The Conversation The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns have […]
Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on ethnic minority groups, in particular black and Latin American communities. It is already common knowledge that due to structural and systemic social, political, and economic disparities these communities are at a disadvantage compared to their white counterparts. By Shodona Kettle Impakter Where is the problem a big issue? […]