We find ourselves in unprecedented times, a phrase I’m sure you’ve now heard more than once. As I write this column, we’re about four weeks removed from our last in person class on campus. For me, as a senior, this will serve as the last day I packed my backpack and headed to the classroom—something I’ve done September through May for the past 16 years.

A month later, and things have changed. Before COVID-19, if you were to walk around campus on a beautiful Friday afternoon, you would’ve found it crowded with activity. Frisbees being thrown, students bustling about, faculty heading out of academic buildings—all of us would’ve been ready for the weekend and the sunny spring weather.

Now, you might as well envision tumbleweeds drifting across the quad because campus has become a ghost town. Besides the limited people allowed to remain on campus, all St. Thomas operations have shut down.

This situation has strained my life, as well as the university’s, but it still pales in comparison to others. Right now, we’re in the midst of a global uphill battle against COVID-19—a battle in which healthcare workers are fighting hard every hour of the day and citizens everywhere are struggling to make ends meet.

This has created fear and worry, but there is a positive.

Across the globe climate scientists have observed a rapid change in urban environments. It is something good that’s happening in the world, but it’s up to us if we can sustain it.

Most of the world is now staying at home or only going out for emergencies and exercise, and because of the radical change in our behavior, urban areas are now recording a sharp change of pollution trends as if someone abruptly turned off the faucet.

This makes sense. Doesn’t it? But the reality is this can’t be sustained forever.

Many have seen the images of empty highways and downtowns, and because of that, we’re seeing pollution empty out as well. Skylines from London to Beijing have recorded noticeable differences in pollution. As a result, climate scientists are able to do research on our urban environments that would have seemingly been impossible before.

As we fight an attack from an unforeseen enemy, we’re doing our best to heal each other and our global community. Earth is also taking this time to heal itself from the constant attack by humans.

When the quarantine ends, we might ask ourselves, “Now what?” Our planet will look right back and ask the same thing. Our society has an immense chance to make true and everlasting change with positive climate action.

Before, it was perceived to be too hard to slow down the gears of capitalistic environmental harm, but now we find that it’s already been put to a stop. What will it look like when it turns back on? Can’t we shed the layer of rust off the gears to reveal a more green system that works for humanity and the environment?

An example of some changes we’re seeing now is the lack of vehicle usage. This has led to less traffic, creating less pollution and less oil production.

We save money and time, and Earth stores less greenhouse gases. As for the energy industry, maybe now is the chance to switch to a more sustainable business model that includes renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

We should feel the urgency to do the things that were deemed too difficult before. We will conquer the pandemic. I’m sure of it. I’m less sure about winning the fight against a villain of our own making.

Governments need to recognize the opportunity we have to severely mitigate pollution and emission trends. If we can adapt our behaviors and infrastructure practices now, we can stave off the future curves of wildfire, hurricane and drought. We can save the millions of people that will eventually be underwater from rising sea levels.

We have to use this time to proactively change our way of life so that we can have more days without smog in our cities.

In other words, we can’t just say “Oh, look at the pretty flowers.” We have to put steps in place to protect those flowers and their environments before they’re gone—a future that is rapidly approaching. This is going to take a global collaborative effort between government agencies, private industries and, most importantly, collective individual action. Something that’s also known as the common good.

On the individual level, maybe the lockdowns have already brought changes into your life. Whether it be biking and walking more regularly, cooking your own food or shopping for consumer products less often, these behaviors make your life more minimalistic and self sufficient.

These changes are more sustainable and help fight pollution, food waste and overall climate change. Now, we just have to carry this over when things return to normal, instead of falling back into our old habits.

Combining these behavioral changes with large scale efforts from the public and private sectors can lead to a more sustainable way of life for all. We should be asking ourselves, “Why can’t our cities’ skies always be this clear, and what do we need to do to change that?”

Our environment and us do not live separately. What’s good for the environment is good for us and vice versa. We don’t know when the battle against COVID-19 will be over, but when it is, there will be another one waiting for us.

Just because pollution has stagnated doesn’t mean climate change won’t continue on its destructive path. It’s up to all of us to push back on this issue—starting now. When things return to normal after the pandemic, let’s hope not all things do.

Zaid Khan can be reached at khan8548@stthomas.edu.