Our Pandemic may Give Oceans a Chance

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the globe, some hope has arisen from the devastation surrounding this unprecedented crisis. With images and pictures from around the world of animals emerging onto our streets for the first time in generations, we are reminded of the significant impact that we, as Humanity have on the planet. But what of the seas? With ships locked down in ports and fishing fleets moored to docks the world over, we ask ourselves: “What impact is this pandemic having on the great blue oceans?”.

When the virus struck Northern Italy, pictures of swans and jellyfish navigating the canals of Venice inspired hope across the globe. Elephants frolicking in a vineyard, mountain goats trotting through a town in Wales and pumas spotted in the streets of Chile showed us that when restricted human activity begins to make less of an impact on our environment, the world can begin to heal very quickly.

Satellites soon began measuring massively reduced levels of NO2 over China and Europe and air quality improved rapidly in many big cities as we confined ourselves to homesteads across the planet. Vehicle travel plunged and industry ground to a halt, while air travel has tumbled due to restrictions - the benefits of which we are yet to see as jetliners are left on tarmacs instead of belching out greenhouse gasses into the upper atmosphere. And with coal-fired power plants reducing their output by 40% in China alone during the month of March, and public transport all but grinding to a halt, fossil fuel emissions have started to show signs of rapid decline.
But with humankind locked down on land, what is happening in the vast bodies of water that cover over 70% or our planet? Is our tempered activity having as much of an effect on the oceans as it is on land?

Indeed, watching skies clear and fauna return to our urban domain is a pleasing sight, but we must also be thinking of the seas during this time. If we can see such a drastic change on land, what then must be happening below the waters of the Pacific or Atlantic? Overfishing is a serious concern; it has been for decades. Much has been done to temper this threat to life in the oceans and as fishermen remain at home during the crisis, many are keenly awaiting the outcomes of fewer trawlers hauling sea life from the water. Ultimately, though these results will only become available once things return to normal and the boats are back at sea.

The oceans of our world are the fundamental drivers of life across the globe. Yet, they are still a vast wilderness, unexplored by the overwhelming majority of people, and, since we hardly see them, we don’t consider the critical role that they play in sustaining life on Earth. Oceans drive weather, allowing for rain to fall across our continents, they feed over 3 billion of the global population and, with almost half of the world living within 60 miles of marine coastlines, are susceptible - more than any other ecosystem - to the ravages of pollution.

As the pandemic unfolds, a critical fact has bypassed many of us. One of the main tests being used to diagnose the Corona Virus was in fact developed with the help of an enzyme isolated from a microbe found within marine hydrothermal vents. Imagine if this microbe had died off in a dead sea before we had developed the test? Many more people would have gone undiagnosed. This again illustrates that we must protect this natural heritage for our own well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents us with a unique opportunity to re-evaluate how we can work to protect our seas and oceans. With marine mining and fishing almost shut down, and a reduced number of vessels on the water during the outbreak, now is the time to look at the seas, take note of changes in marine wildlife patterns, examine recoveries in fish stocks and watch as oceans show us how quickly they can recover. Perhaps this is the moment to drive for a change in trajectory and look to green technologies to replace those that continue to bombard sustainability on Earth. With so much of the industrial machine complex shut down right now, proponents of this next generation of technology must seize the chance to convince those in the corridors of power to prove that green initiatives can maintain the upward curve of a healthier world.
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Technologies like Ballast Water Treatment Systems can stop ships from spilling their waste into the seas, and Exhaust Gas Scrubbing Systems will see that engines maintain minimal emissions, trapping their noxious gasses in filters. These are just two pioneering technologies, available right now that can keep us on the track to a healthier planet. Nature has given us a small shove in the right direction, it’s up to mankind to not let this chance slip through our fingers.
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Though a terrible, heavy tragedy, the COVID-19 pandemic may just present us a glimpse of sustainable hope, for the oceans at least. Let’s change our thinking. The world is talking about how different things will be after the outbreak subsides. Let us hope those changes extend to all parts of the globe.
                                                                                     
References:
1. https://www.whoi.edu/news-insights/content/finding-answers-in-the-ocean/
2. https://seas-at-risk.org/29-ocean-governance/1044-covid-19-crisis-the-role-of-the-ocean-in-safeguarding-a-healthier-future.html
3. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-lockdowns-air-pollution/
4. https://www.csis.org/analysis/covid-19-sea-impacts-blue-economy-ocean-health-and-ocean-security