Even this cloud has some silver linings

black and white photo of clouds Believe it or not, there are a number of silver linings to this very dark cloud we are all experiencing.

While I don’t wish for a moment to minimize the terrible effect the COVID-19 pandemic is having around the world, I do want to point out some positive developments.

In China, where industry was massively curtailed in an effort to keep citizens at home, satellite images have shown a dramatic decrease in air pollution. Amazingly, the air quality was so dramatically improved that experts estimate more Chinese citizens’ lives were saved from the cleaner air than were lost due to the coronavirus!

Worldwide, air traffic has been dramatically reduced — but life goes on. These days, we realize we don’t really need to be flying as much as we’ve become accustomed to. We simply aren’t taking that holiday to a faraway place or visiting family and friends far from home, which is how it was until just a few decades ago. The silver lining? As a direct result of fewer flights, greenhouse gas emissions have been dramatically reduced, which will definitely help the climate crisis.

Here in Metro Vancouver, TransLink has made public transit free. This is something I’ve been advocating for years. When there’s no need to hold things up by taking the time to pay, boarding times are significantly reduced. (Learn how to get a partial refund on your March Compass Card here.)

Did you know that 10 cents of every transit-fare dollar is spent on collecting that fare? TransLink spends literally millions and millions of dollars each year on our busses’ farebox and tap systems. They also have to factor in the cost of the extra delay time of the bus at the bus stop as people take longer to board and pay. One economist calculated that TransLink spends 10% of ever fare dollar on collection.

In Metro Vancouver, road congestion is much reduced since most of us who work are now doing so from home. Isn’t this something we could have all been doing long before the pandemic? Technology today makes it possible to do what was literally impossible just a short while ago.

In my law office, by using the Cloud, my support staff and I are all able to access the entire contents of every single client file from home. We can even annotate those documents and share them with each other.

My office manager, Krista Hannah, who also acts as our receptionist, is able to answer the office phone from the comfort of her own home. And she can transfer the call to any one of us at our home, without the client even realizing. (Well, until now!)

Now we need to ask ourselves, will those of us who are currently able to work from home continue doing so after the pandemic? It would greatly benefit the environment and, for some people, even make us happier. Personally, I feel much more energized working from home.

And here’s another silver lining: Up until a decade ago it was normal for families or households to eat dinner around the table together and talk about current events or what’s happening in their lives. Right before the pandemic, it was the norm to just grab a bite on the run or eat out. But now, with self-isolation, we’re back to most everyone eating together around the table, sharing their stories and just spending time together.

This pandemic will come to an end — it’s only a matter of time. Let’s hope that after this terrible ordeal ends we’re able to keep the best of the silver linings with us, and not completely return to normal.

Stay safe, and keep at least two armlengths away from each other!

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (Mar. 26, 2020): 415.43 ppm

One year ago (Mar. 26, 2019): 410.44 ppm