COVID-19 has forged a new way of low-carbon lifestyles

While cracking through the fragility of our healthcare systems and global economic structure COVID-19 on the opposing scale, has also been a breath of fresh air, so to speak, we are now faced with the obvious fruitful echo of our imposed lockdown.

The COVID-19 crisis has shed light on the things that truly hold a magnitude of importance to us - health, mental well being, the community and Mother Nature herself. These are the key factors that have made these trying times slightly better and taught us perseverance. 

Not only have carbon emissions reduced significantly, but humans under lockdown also walked and explored nature more. Sales in local product increased as a show of support from the public, while the Earth also took a breather. 

However, this change was sudden and technically not optional. While still being a positive side effect of the madness, as things slowly fall back into place it is up to us to pull through the "good habits" we have developed over the last few weeks. We need to do this in order to make sure the natural world survives as we reconcile our human activities.

While we can still aim to do better, landfill and seas have been piled with the waste of plastic gloves and masks to a shocking degree. It is almost shameful to see human beings not learn from their mistakes and be able to make small changes in patterns to extend the longevity of this planet.

Gary Stokes, the co-founder of the marine conservation group OceansAsia, shows face masks that washed up on the beach of Soko Islands, following the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong, China. March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Yoyo Chow

It is needless to say the benefits we have all seen and are experiencing like the fall of CO2 emissions and other pollutants will be short-lived and patterns will revert back to the pre-virus world we were all slowly suffocating. Let's take steps to learn from our lessons and build back better than ever after this pandemic.

A few things we can do and continue to do after all this:

• Take more walks, use the cars a little less.
• Use fresh homegrown produce and brands, export and genetically modified product will never taste as good.
• Recycle, Reuse - we've all had to be more than creative at certain times in lockdown.
• Give back to the community - our local community is the only community that will care for us the most.

The only thing we're in favour of bringing back from the old world are hugs; HUG each other and let the people around you know they are appreciated, but only once this virus is defeated.

Till then, stay safe and stay home.