I want to share the article below and inspire us for Earth day! But let me ramble on with some personal perspective on the story.
I love LA! My husband Jacopo lived there for a while and we find a reason to go every year. Different vibes everywhere: Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, the San Fernando Valley. Personally, what I like most is West Hollywood.
I digress for a reason: if you know LA, you are familiar with the never-ending layer of humidity/smog that rises from the city. You can’t really notice the difference between the humidity coming in from the cold pacific ocean and the pollution from the millions of cars stuck in the various freeways.
Did you read on the news that, right now, LA has some of the cleanest air of any major city in the world ??? That’s just incredible and pretty much a direct result of the COVID shutdown combined with heavy rain in March. It shows clearly that the earth has an incredible ability to restore itself very quickly in spite of the constant injury we humans impose on it day in and day out. If we want a better place to live, we just have to ACT!
Jacopo tells me about amazing days in LA after a big rain: where the skies are crystal clear and he could see the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains covered in snow from the Santa Monica mountains by the sea. Magnificent views! Have I mentioned that we Turks are obsessed with views??? We call them Manzara and it’s always the most important thing. 😂
In the article below by The National Geographic they discuss the effect of the shutdown in cities around the world. It’s at the same time worrisome and inspiring. I choose to believe that we will be inspired to develop a better and more sustainable world. When we see what happens when pollution goes down; when we feel better because we breathe clean air, we will be inspired to achieve more sustainable development.
I realize some will continue arguing the flaws in climate change science. They will repeat that the earth has seen warmer eras followed by colder ones. So, what do they propose, then? That we continue polluting the earth without any worry over the effect it has on our health and that of our children? Is it not accepted knowledge that car exhausts in a closed garage can kill a person in a short period of time? Are we all ok with the fact that pregnant women are told not to consume tuna because of the high level of mercury, which is a direct result of our industrial processes?
Hopefully, the LA turnaround can inspire us all. We can build a world with less pollution for future generations. With ingenuity and innovation, we can have both progress and conservation.
Join the movement. We can all do it. I am also learning and looking forward to getting better one step at a time. Be well and stay safe!