With everything going on in the world today, it can be hard to imagine what the world will look like in a few months. Although the future is uncertain, we will beat this pandemic. COVID-19 is already shaping the world in unprecedented ways, and the months we spend in self-isolation will no doubt have an effect on the years to come.
When dealing with the immediate crisis of COVID-19, it can be easy to forget the looming threat of climate change. However, as the world rushes to fight the coronavirus, we’re also fighting climate change, albeit unintentionally. Air pollution has improved in several major metropolitan areas across the world, and fish have returned to the canals of Venice (1). For years, we’ve tried to reduce global carbon emissions, and recently we’ve done so (1). The shutdown of manufacturing and travel has improved the climate, and during this time, we’ve learned that reducing our carbon footprint is possible if we’re willing to make big changes. We can only hope that after the pandemic ends, the world will take the climate crisis more seriously and take big steps to fix the environment.
Many of us have begun taking online classes and working online out of necessity. Educators have worked together to make online learning more effective, and the virus has caused us to advance our capabilities in terms of online classes. Similarly, many companies have purchased technology and set up laptops to enable their workers to work remotely. Once the pandemic ends, this ability to work from home will still exist, allowing more people to work remotely. COVID-19 has forced us to work, go to class, be diagnosed by a doctor, connect with others, and more, all from the comfort of our own home.
An economic shift
We’re stuck in a negative loop right now, as consumers aren’t buying products, which causes companies to lose profits and lay off workers (2). There is no doubt that our economy will be affected by COVID-19 for years to come.
On an individual level, we’re also learning how life at home affects our budgets. With restaurants closed and travel shut down, major expenses for many people are now just rent and groceries. Shopping for for clothes and going out to eat are unnecessary and dangerous, teaching us that we can live without these things.
Every generation that has survived a crisis like COVID-19 has been defined by that crisis. The people who lived through the Great Depression and World War II were affected for the rest of their lives by that experience (3). Will we become more careful about washing our hands, limiting deaths from infectious diseases in the future? Will the pandemic change our political opinions? Will our thoughts on work and job security change? Right now, it’s impossible to know how we will react; the only thing we know for certain is that this situation has left its mark and will affect how our generation faces challenges in the future.
As we look ahead to the future, a lot of questions remain about what our world will look like. There are many predictions, but it’s impossible to know the course of history. We won’t have a full understanding of how COVID-19 changed our lives and our world until years from now, as we look back on this time through a historical lens.
All images are courtesy of the Her Campus Media Library