After it became clear that this wasn’t just China’s problem, Americans in different areas reacted differently. The urban areas seemed to witness more aggressive behavior with fights generating over toilet tissue and hand sanitizer. Supermarkets were at first cleaned out with binge buying- a little like when a big snowstorm is predicted. But as schools and businesses closed and the Stock Market dropped, residents realized this was more than a minor inconvenience or a single, catastrophic event like 9/11. Some of the younger population saw themselves as immune and eager to turn a serious situation into a party. The president finally admitted we had a medical problem not a political one.

Where did the virus come from and how was it being transmitted? There have been other pandemics in the past, but now with globalization the effects have world-wide consequences. Americans were forced to realize our close dependence on China with over 75% of everything in our households probably “made in China”. There was concern over handling shipped products and some people even stopped going to Chinese restaurants for fear of contagion.

While China can provide us with low-cost goods – clothing, shoes, bags, household items- the large factories in Beijing among other places create so much pollution that everyone wears face masks – even before this virus. In addition, from an ecological standpoint, the Chinese market for medicinal wildlife parts from endangered tigers and rhino horns continues to drive many of these rare and beautiful animals to extinction.

Our current geological era has been called the “Anthropocene “ to emphasize that humans are now the main shaper of the planet. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been over-loading the atmosphere with methane and CO2. The consequences are becoming more noticeable in the form of droughts, frankenstorms, wild fires, melting glaciers and human displacement. Climate scientists warn that our time to address these imbalances is running out. Before the advent of this virus, we were already in a crisis although many chose to ignore it. Was it easier to ignore because the destruction seemed more remote? More in others backyards? Is it only birdwatchers who should mourn the loss of over 50% of our songbirds?

Our myopic focus on human well-being may still have a positive outcome if we consider the effects of “social distancing” that has driven many people out into the open spaces of parks and hiking trails. Perhaps some will realize in the greening vegetation and the bird and frog songs that we are indeed dependent on the earth for many things and certainly for respite in times of uncertainty.

Hopefully, given more quiet time during this pandemic, we can reflect on ways to protect our environment from climate catastrophe and create safe places for the remaining wildlife we share this planet with before all is irreparably lost.