Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, all that is seen on the news is virus-related information. Every day there is a new update and, what seems like, more and more bad news. Regardless of all the fear going around, there is some good coming out of the quarantining and social distancing.

All over the world, animals are roaming the streets, pollution-free skies and water starting to clear up. From Italy to China, and even L.A, considerable changes in the environment are beginning to emerge. 

La Serenissima’s waterways in Italy are now wave-less and have become calm and “lagoon-like.” The water is so clear that you can see the sea life, including small fish and seaweed. Ducks have even started to roam and there have been reports of small dolphins and swans swimming through the beautiful water canals.

In America, some larger cities on the west coast have seen wild animals on their deserted streets. Deer, coyotes and even bears have been seen roaming around looking through trash cans and exploring the newly claimed territory. 

In China, there has been a 25 percent temporary decrease in CO2 emissions in their skies. Because of social isolation, factories have stopped mass production and fewer cars are being used every day, adding to the decrease in emissions in the air.

The slowdown of manufacturing and traffic, including vehicles, leads to a massive reduction regarding pollution. China is not the only place that will be seeing a decrease in CO2 emissions because of the slowdown of the economy all over the world. 

Rules related to staying in isolation are getting stricter, which might mean less pollution. There has even been some satellite imagery that shows huge reductions in air pollution in locations where traffic has legally been limited. 

Marshall Burke, from Stanford University, has concluded that the reductions that were seen in China mainly in January and February could potentially save over 77,000 lives. This is more than 20 times the number of people who died from COVID-19 in those two months.

During these scary and unpredictable times, it is essential to try and keep a positive outlook on the world. There will always be some good news. The next time you find yourself worrying about the outbreak, try to find a news source giving more positive stories.