It has been over a year since schools were shut down, concerts were cancelled and offices were closed. Keeping distance and wearing a mask have become second nature. The distribution of vaccines has shown us a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. But that doesn’t mean life will completely go back to the way it was before. A post-COVID world will be a new type of “normal,” and this is how some things are changed for good. words_emma goodstein. photo_teagan polizzi. design_avani choudhary.
ECONOMICALLY
An economic downturn followed the start of the pandemic—businesses closed, millions lost their jobs, world trade was disrupted and tourism became almost nonexistent. But with vaccines becoming more widely administered, individuals are more inclined to start spending money like they used to. This spring, for example, there has been a noticeable uptick in travel and trip planning. Air travel has hit a “new pandemic high,” according to CNN, and Airbnb and hotel bookings have seen a surge in bookings. But with many eager to travel and purchase after this long period of waiting, some economists worry that there will be an overload of spending and that the economy may not be able to handle this sudden spike. “Covid has sort of reintroduced people to the business cycle by illustrating how events that are sometimes unpredictable can seriously affect the economy,” said Shannon Derouselle, a professor of business law at the University of Miami’s Herbert Busines School. While unemployment rates are still high and small businesses’ work hours are still low, stocks are near an alltime high, the housing market is thriving and the shift to online shopping has accelerated. And according to a CNN “Back-to-Normal Index,” the U.S. economy is operating at 86% of where it was in early March.
A completely post-COVID world seems like a fantasy. The gardens of Vizcaya almost make you forget about the changed world beyond its flora.
ENVIRONMENTALLY
While it was stressful for some to think about the declining economy during the pandemic, others were focused on the positive environmental shifts taking place. Less traveling and working from home meant less carbon emissions from transportation. Experts are reporting that society’s response to this unique opportunity—a year-long stalemate in society—will lay the groundwork for our climate trajectory for thousands of years to come. While carbon emissions are down as of right now, concentrations are still rising as a whole. “Individual action—driving your car less, attending a meeting via Zoom rather than taking a business flight—is not going to be enough” said Richard Betts, head of climate impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre in Exeter, United Kingdom. Experts are calling for systematic action on international and state levels, meaning structural changes need to be put into place and continued far past the end of the pandemic. “These seemingly small changes offered the ability to collect data on the effect of what is happening in real time,” said Alexander Humphreys, a professor in the geology department at UM. Based on numerous reports by environmentalists, it looks as though the Earth has experienced more positive effects than negative effects since the pandemic began last year. Although this does not account for future consequences that are not yet known. For example, the increase in single-use items creates an entirely new wave of waste that the Earth will be left to endure. “These new kinds of disposable masks going everywhere are kind of like the new plastic bags,” said Humphreys. “Now we have another waste product that is being discarded everywhere and ending up in our oceans.”
Summer 2021 DISTRACTION 29
