Does the Earth really need humans to continue its survival? No. The Covid-19 pandemic gave us a harsh and clear cut answer to this question. A small microorganism, that we can’t even see through the naked eyes tied the human race into shackles and revived the biosphere, and freed other forms of life from the dominance of the human race. Even when the humans were caged within the walls, the rest of the world was still living with even more freedom and grace.
The streets that earlier used to swarm with heavy crowds were dominated by fauna during the lockdown. The water in the canals of Venice was so crystal clear that fishes swam through them because humans who polluted water were absent. Northern Italy recorded an immense drop in the emission of NO2 pollutants. The emission rate of CO2 dropped drastically by 5-10% as the humans, who were a source of these emissions, were locked inside their homes.
The residents of Mumbai witnessed dolphins in the sea and an increment in the number of flamingos that migrated to the seashores of Mumbai as the clearer water enhanced the growth of algae, the primary food of the flamingos. The peaks of the Himalayas could be clearly seen from Punjab due to decreased air pollution. The water of The Ganges and Yamuna was declared fit for drinking by the environmentalists.
Earth revived and healed within a few months as soon as the human activities came to a standstill as if it was sending us a message that we are a mere addition to its forms of life. It is all fine even without humans and it will remain as beautiful and graceful even in the absence of humans. Mother Earth has sent us a warning through this pandemic that if we want to continue existing, we have to respect the sentiments and rules of nature and stop disturbing its balance otherwise Mother Nature may send us even worse and haunting surprises in forthcoming times.