Am I Allowed to Say This? Finding Light in a Dark Moment

Photo by Sourav Mishra

By Regina Winkle-Byran

Confession time: I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I am probably not alone in this.

Covid-19 has thrown a wrench in our plans, and people in the tourism industry around the world are feeling it in a big way. It has been estimated that the effects of the outbreak on the tourism industry could be similar to what was experienced after 9-11.

Plus, I live in Seattle, where at the time of this writing, more coronavirus cases have been identified than anywhere else in the United States. The result has been widespread cancellations of all sorts of events and general anxiety rippling throughout communities.

I have felt frustrated, irritated, and even worried at times. Finally, however, I realized I needed to look at this situation from another angle.

Can we find any light in this dark, heavy international problem? Are we even allowed to look for silver linings when so many people are ill or frightened about becoming ill? Will what I am about to write seriously ruffle some feathers and prompt hate mail? I hope not. I am going to try to look for a light spot, if for no other reason than to focus on something other than the grimness of it all.

One positive is that most people do not have the virus and will likely be okay. Also, folks are washing their hands more often and are becoming more conscientious about hygiene. Extra steps are being taken to clean our schools and public spaces. So, I suppose these are wins.

There’s also a huge slowing down. A pause. Normal life is on hold.

In a city—Seattle—where many people work in tech, and can, therefore, work from home, many employees have been ordered to clock-in remotely. The result is fewer cars and buses on the freeways. Less traffic. Less road-rage. Less carbon emissions. It also means less revenue for the restaurants and bars and other businesses these workers patronize, but let’s not dwell on that right now.

There’s this massive shift toward staying put in a city that loves to move. I can’t go out and network like I usually do because events have been canceled. In fact, Seattle-King County Public Health representatives have recommended that all large gatherings be postponed. So, I’m mostly home, as are a lot of other people. Is that so bad?

Perhaps, being home and being quiet is a gift. More time to read. More time to spend with family. More time to pet the dog.

And then there is the environment. Sure, there are fewer cars on the road because people are staying put, but the larger polluter is air traffic, which is estimated to have emitted 918m tonnes of CO2 last year.

Many companies around the United States have barred employees from any unnecessary air travel. This means more people are using technology to communicate instead of flying here and there to meet in person. This could be a very good thing, especially if some of these companies realize that they can cut back on meetings that involve air travel altogether and use teleconferencing in the future. Clearly, this is not great for airlines, but ultimately, it’s positive for the environment.

Along the same lines, conferences all over the United States and internationally have been canceled because of Covid-19. While this is certainly not stellar for the economy, it does mean that there are fewer people in the air and in taxis, and therefore, less CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.

Remember, I am looking for light in the darkness. Positives in what is, let’s face it, a bit of a sh*t storm.

What about China? Have you seen those images of before and after air quality? It’s like something from a twisted tabloid telling us how much weight some poor celebrity has lost. In this case, the celebrity is China, and instead of weight, we’re talking about straight up carbon emissions, which have decreased by a quarter according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air in the last month. Coal consumption at power plants is down 36%. This is because factories are closed and people can’t go to work. Of course, this is also because some people are sick and others have passed away, but again, we’re looking for the upside here, if there even is one.

So, for some of us who are not ill, we get to take a pause. We get to stay home more. We get to spend a little bit longer washing our hands and counting to 20 while watching the soap suds. But the Earth, too, gets a bit of a break. A moment to take a deeper breath.

And the Earth could use a respite. Fires in Australia. Now floods. Multiple natural disasters in California. Plastic in the oceans, and therefore, in the fish, and in our bodies. Maybe it’s okay to halt and take a step back for a moment. Just a second away from our frenetic chase after the next thing to look around and consider if we like what we see. Could something change? Could we do it better?

I understand the irony of a tour operator—that would be us—going on and on about the environmental toll associated with travel. Shooting ourselves in the foot, perhaps. After all, some of our trips are international and require air travel. What can be done about this? How can we continue to travel, but do so in a greener way?

A few strategies to reduce your carbon footprint are by flying nonstop whenever possible, and then taking a bus, train, or fuel-efficient vehicle instead of a short-haul flight to travel around once you’ve landed. So, take the train in Europe—it’s more scenic anyway.

And did you know that you were being green while you felt cramped, stuck, and somewhat envious back in economy? Turns out, flying economy class is more sustainable than business class or, uh, taking a private jet.

You could also consider paying to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. Most airlines have programs in place for you to do this; however, be sure to do your research, as some have more transparency than others. It would also be great if more effort and money went into creating more fuel-efficient airplanes that pollute less.

The coronavirus will wane and people will start moving around again. Eventually, this will pass. The effect all of this will have on people’s health and livelihoods cannot be ignored, and I am certainly not trying to dismiss the fear and suffering some people are experiencing.

But as we are forced to slow down, perhaps a little introspection is good. Perhaps some changes could be made on a personal level and a larger scale. This could be an opportunity to take stock, and if you’re well, to count your blessings, an act that will help to ease the potent apprehension hanging over us these days.

Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and be bold!