A Rising Problem: Methane More Dangerous than Previously Thought

 By Ryan Mathew

As environmental concerns about our planet, and its capability to keep life on it, grows more and more there is a popular subject among mainstream media: pollution. This one event that has been rapidly expanding on earth has the capability to destroy all life on the planet, yet humanity does not seem to want to move to stop it. Humanity produces many emissions that heavily contribute to the destruction of our earth through air and ozone pollution, and among these emissions is one that can be dealt with more readily than attempting to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. While carbon dioxide has a harsher effect over a long period of time, methane that has not been burned is actually one of the worst emissions over a short period of time and one we should be actively trying to stop.

Methane production in the U.S. alone was measured in 2017 to total 10.2% of all greenhouse gasses (Greenhouse Gas Emissions). Methane is deadly in the short term and is a major problem that we should be focusing on reducing, but we have seen no great changes in the overwhelming production of methane in the world. While CO2 will hurt humanity far more in the long run, if we cannot reduce the amount of methane we produce in a decade or two then we will not be able to worry about the long term effects of CO2. Methane is a deadly greenhouse gas that should take priority in being reduced over CO2 in order to allow humanity a chance in the short term.

Methane when naturally occurring is a regular process that does not negatively impact our environment; the real problem occurs when unburnt methane leaks into the atmosphere. Unburnt methane is 100 times more capable of trapping energy over CO2 and leads in man-made climate change contributions (The climate impacts of methane emissions). Methane also has 21 times more Global Warming Potential (GWP) over CO2. Although methane typically has an average shelf life of only nine years, the potency of its effects is terribly high and can wreck disaster on the earth in its short life; comparatively, while CO2 has an average shelf life of up to 100 years its short term effect is paltry in comparison.

This all begs the question of why worry about the short term? If CO2 sticks around in our atmosphere longer than why worry about methane over CO2? The simple answer is the fact that if we do not reduce the amount of unburned methane we produce in places like factories, farms, and oil/gas facilities the earth will not be able to handle the amount of heat being pumped into its atmosphere. We are filling our own air with toxins and poison that have devastating effects on our only home. If we do not reduce our methane production, along with other greenhouse gasses, then scientists warn we only have 11 years before irreversible damage is done to our environment and we as humans are doomed to kill our natural home. (Only 11 Years Left).

However the threat level of Methane is higher than previously thought by scientists. Apparently the methane reports previously given have been off by around 25%, making the situation far worse. Methane leakage has been found to be over 60% higher on U.S. oil and gas operations than previously estimated by officials (The climate impacts of methane emissions). The numbers that were estimated in the past concerning methane production around the world were recalculated by a team of over 100 academic researchers and natural gas industries. The problem with calculating such vast numbers is the fact that the methane produced naturally and the methane produced by leakages and humans look identical. 

This is terrifying news as the efforts that were already in place to combat greenhouse gas productions were not enough, and now we have even higher amounts than previously thought and an even weaker infrastructure in dealing with this problem. The production of methane is a serious issue that has not even hit the headlines of major news outlets, yet this can be the reason the earth loses its protective atmosphere and ozone layer. Methane should not be underestimated, especially when compared to CO2, and it should be taken into serious account in stopping pollution.

Methane is an atrociously vicious greenhouse gas that has been underestimated in creating pollution. While many people concern themselves with CO2, methane is a far deadlier problem with a fast approaching deadline to reduce the causes of global climate change. We as humans have to concern ourselves with finding a way to drastically reduce our unburned methane production and leakage lest our atmosphere be ruined. The excessive production of methane and its destruction of our environment must take a very high priority in action plans.

Bibliography

“Methane Emitted by Humans Vastly Underestimated.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 19 Feb. 2020, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200219113746.htm.

“The Climate Impacts of Methane Emissions.” Environmental Defense Fund, www.edf.org/climate-impacts-methane-emissions.

“Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 16 Mar. 2020, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases.

“Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage from Climate Change, Speakers Warn during General Assembly High-Level Meeting | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/press/en/2019/ga12131.doc.htm.

Australia’s Bushfires Create a Continental Crisis

By Emma Brennan

Global warming and climate change can result in a range of catastrophic events. In today’s world, a quintessential example of this is the Australian bushfires that overcame the nation this past year. Bushfires occur naturally as a result of dry vegetation igniting and are exacerbated by “higher temperatures, lower humidity, and stronger winds” (Rotter 2020). In general, every year during the dry season, Australia is typically very susceptible to bushfires. This past year, however, with temperatures “well above what global warming theory can explain,” bushfires were particularly devastating (Rotter 2020).

The average temperature of Australia for this past December was recorded as being 3.21 degrees celsius warmer than the average (Farand 2020). Similarly, this temperature “had warmed about 1.4 times faster than the global annual average temperature over the past century” (Farand 2020). These record-breaking temperatures have also been accompanied by vicious droughts that have only served to fuel the fires (Farand 2020).

The Australian bushfires of this past year were devastating in several facets of Australian life. These bushfires burned nearly 12.5 million acres of land across Australia and in doing so, destroyed a plethora of wildlife and communities along with it (Welshans 2020). The fires devastated both property and lives across the continent (Welshans 2020). As of January, it had been reported that 24 people had been killed as a consequence of the bushfires (Farand 2020).

Not only did the wildfires obliterate land and people’s livelihoods, it also had the potential to destroy the agricultural economy (Welshans 2020). A major issue that plagued farmers during this time was the state of their livestock. According to Matt Ballarat, an agriculture analyst, “approximately 8.6 million head of sheep” and “2.3 million head of cattle” could be affected by the fires” which would take a devastating toll on the agricultural economy (Welshans 2020). To combat this issue, the livestock were relocated in an attempt to move them out of the immediate danger zones. Both the agricultural industry as well as communities across the continent have been destroyed and recovery from this tragedy is expected to be a lengthy process (Welshans 2020).

In addition to the wildfires taking a devastating toll on the agriculture industry, the wildfires are also very taxing on the economy of Australia as a whole. While the bushfires were treacherous, the aftermath of them might be just as difficult. The wildfires are expected to have caused billions of dollars worth of damage (Farand 2020).The National Bushfire Recovery Agency has allocated 2 billion dollars for reparation costs to provide for “families, farmers, and businesses” that were affected by these bushfires (Farand 2020). The money will also be used to rebuild infrastructure that had been destroyed such as roads, “replenish producers’ livestock, provide mental health support and help restore the impacted environment and wildlife” (Farand 2020). The plan is to distribute the 2 billion dollars over a two year period and as of January, 100 million of this budget had been dispersed (Farand 2020). Additionally, Deloitte Access Economics found that Australia issues about nine billion dollars toward natural disaster costs a year on average; the report claims that this cost could rise to 27 billion dollars per year by 2050 (Farand 2020).

The Australian bushfires are no doubt a crisis that affected the continent of Australia in more ways than one. From the state of the country’s agricultural communities and wildlife, to the country’s economy, to the citizens’ lives in general.

Works Cited

Farand, Chloé. Australia’s Bushfires to Cost Billions as Climate Risks Rise. London: Newstex,

2020. ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2020.

Rotter, Charles. Are Australia Bushfires Worsening from Human-Caused Climate Change?.

Chico: Newstex, 2020. ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2020.

Welshans, Krissa. "Australian Ag Hit Hard by Bushfires." Beef (2020)ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2020.

Own Worst Enemy

By Tommy Ryan 

We live in a society in which our own people are failing to protect our own habitat. The men and women in power are letting down the youth and future of this Earth. We young people see the damaging effects our actions have been causing, and if something doesn’t change soon there will be no going back. We are destroying our land by failing to act upon global warming, greenhouse gasses, and pollution.

People are considered to be the most intelligent creatures on Earth who are able to learn new things which can lead them to technological advancement. It goes without saying that there are many benefits in technological development for the economy but it also destroys our environment gradually. We develop technologies and science to make our life better but it can ruin everything that surrounds us in the near future. Destructive human activity causes several adverse effects on the environment. The effects of pollution are devastating. It is very important to explore the various types of pollution and all possible ways of their prevention in order to make our planet a safe place for the growth and development of all living things.

Water pollution is one of the pivotal problems nowadays. A lot of garbage is thrown directly into the water. Moreover, a lot of factories, mills, and plants discharge untreated industrial wastes and other unsafe substances into the water bodies. Water is also polluted by chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are widely used in agriculture. The contamination of the living environment leads to the death of entire natural ecosystems. There are many approaches to preventing water pollution but most of the poor countries just don`t have enough money to introduce such up-to-date technologies. 

Air pollution is another of humanity`s challenges. The air we breathe has been contaminated because of uncontrolled release of harmful vehicular and industrial smoke. Burning fuels-spewing nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and chemical vapors are the major pollutants of the air. Sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide cause a situation called global warming when the radiation from the Sun is absorbed while the heat is prevented from escaping. Our environment also suffers from noise and light pollution which have negative effects on people and wild species.

The world’s environment makes our existence on the planet possible. Everything we use to live a full life comes from the environment. We just can`t live without air, water, land, sunlight, animals, and other natural things. Environmental pollution is affecting our lives physically, emotionally, socially, economically, and intellectually. It has become a major worldwide issue which cannot be solved by the effort of one. We should do our best to help prevent the end to the existence of all living things on earth. Every person on our planet should take 

steps to save our environment.

We should reduce water wastage, save energy, use rechargeable batteries, reuse our old things in new ways, and dispose of wastes properly. People use the components of the environment to fulfill their basic needs of living. We should stop polluting and challenging our national resources to ensure sustainable living conditions for our future generations. The usage of non-conventional sources of energy should be encouraged. Restriction on the use of fossil fuels and pollution control laws should be imposed strictly. We have to control the emission of greenhouse gases strictly to save our environment from the threat of global warming. The remarkable growth of technological progress has negative impact on the ecological state of our planet. The work of factories and plants and the extraction of natural resources results in serious environmental problems that call for radical actions for environmental rehabilitation and protection. 

Nowadays, a lot of international summits, conferences, and presentations are held to deal with recycling, waste treatment, and water and soil contamination. We should always remember that environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only be prevented. So, let`s take care of the world that surrounds us.

Bibliography

MacMillan, Amanda. “Global Warming 101.” NRDC, 3 Apr. 2020, www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101.

“The Environmental Crisis.” Everything Connects, www.everythingconnects.org/the-environmental-crisis.

THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS, www.worldfuturefund.org/Projects/Indicators/ST/GlobalEnvironmentalCrisis.html.

South Korea’s Path to Sustainability

By Danny Curran

South Korea’s concern for the environment and its economic ability to compete with the world is very important to them.  Their concern for economic and environmental stability makes them stay ahead of the global market. Their natural resources have helped them stay ahead. Their strong work habits start from the beginning of their existence. The 1950’s Korean War was a horrible war that devastated the Korean Peninsula. The war killed two million people and nothing was resolved. A high razor, chain-link fence separates South and North Korea.

Korea has four distinct seasons with cold winters and warm summers. The Indian and Pacific Ocean gives off strong winds and sometimes when the weather gets extreme the weather can make horrible storms called monsoons that can affect the whole country. South Korea’s largest city is its capital, Seoul, which has a population of more than 10 million. The Republic of Korea is a young nation that has transformed since 1948. Its people have had much turmoil from wars and dictators. Today, their constitution has a three branch government with elections and independence. (McNair, “South Korea”)

South Korea’s agriculture is filled with farming, ranching, forestry and fisheries. They raise chicken and beef with mostly natural ingredients. Their main crop is rice.  There is major demand for rice. They also produce wheat and barley.

                                                                                                                       

South Koreans have moved from rural areas to big cities, creating an industrialized country trading with global markets.  However; disease, wastes and pollution haves doubled with all these new innovations. South Korea knows that their environment and the health of their people are very important.  South Korea’s economic footprint was high and the country knew their wasteful habits had to change. The country now uses a lot of organic material when building, cooking and making materials.  They believe that when you over-consume as a nation too much poisons get released into the environment. South Korea uses eco-friendly ideas by using automated bins, rooftop farms, and underground mushroom-growing farms. These are some ways South Korea goes “Green” and “Clean” in their country. (McNair, “South Korea”)

South Koreans are constantly looking at the United States to see how to improve their Eco-Footprint.  The United States has the most landfill emissions of any other country. The United States releases too much methane into the atmosphere.  South Korea uses the United States as a benchmark and tries to reduce its greenhouse gas pollution. South Korea tries to help clean up the mess by reducing pollution and harmful gases. 

Some Koreans were so against pollution that they created a movement called a “Greener World”. They also made a movement called “Korea Zero Waste Movement Network”. Koreans were lying down in the streets to stop garbage trucks entering landfills.  This movement started in Seoul. Another way South Koreans used their “Waste Movement Network” was to ban plastic bags; this program started in 2018. The country estimates the economic benefit of these policies will reach billions of dollars. (McNair, South Korea)   

Composting Lifestyle                                     

Korean living is also modeled in eco-friendly ways. They use separate containers for items in their house.  They separate each and every thing. Korean’s also believe in composites for food scraps and other materials.  Canisters for oil and fats are also seen in most Korean homes. These simple solutions have saved thousands of dollars for most South Koreans.  Thirteen thousand tons of food waste produced daily in South Korea has now become useful material. For example, it’s turned into compost (thirty per cent), animal feed (sixty per cent), or biofuel (ten per cent). (McNair, “South Korea”)

South Korea has achieved much success and many countries are envious of their commitment to the environment and economic success. When foreigners come to Korea they often ask “How did South Korea achieve this success?” Many international companies see the commitment of South Koreans and their hard work. 

Many of the organics-recycling bins in Seoul have the capacity to transform waste into compost, which can then be distributed to urban farms, sometimes in the same apartment complex. In the past decade, the number of such farms in Seoul have increased from sixty-six to more than two thousand. Mandatory organics recycling plants have saved the country money. Sanitation trucks would have picked up high amount of garbage full of sodium that would end up in their landfills.  Now they use organic materials to break down their garbage. (Somerville, “South Korea”)

Earlier efforts to reduce food waste included such government campaigns as “No Left-Overs Day,” in the nineteen-nineties. But a real shift in food waste would mean changing the notion of what constitutes a great meal. Some restaurants describe the traditional Korean meal as a three-, five-, seven-, nine-, or twelve-chop meal, referring to the number of banchan. Others counter that thinking of the Korean meal that way is a modern invention. A small group of restaurateurs said “We’ll charge for banchan, but serve banchan of a quality that people will actually eat,” This type of message shows the South Koreans are not in small businesses just to make money but to give back to their community. South Koreans want to make their customers happy with good food and use local farmers. In the last five years South Korea sentiment of food has changed.  (Somerville, “South Korea”)

Samsung is always working on efficient appliances that help the environment.  Many companies also offer incentive programs that help their community when recycling and using efficient appliances. Samsung and South Korea’s government made a slogan that using tap water is cool.  When the government decided to reduce the purchase of bottled water, it promoted tap water as healthy and refreshing. South Koreans also promoted that their water has history from the ancient culture. (McNair, “South Korea”)

The future for South Korea has been strong since the Korean War.  South Korea’s GDP has doubled since the 20^th century. Last year a middle class family made $35,277 a year. Now, it has gone up to $46,988.  The living standards for most Koreans have improved and the nation is focused on building policies, the environment, and their people. 

Even though South Korea is improving there are always some struggles. Such as, their population is aging rapidly and their birth rate has declined. Also, the pressure to be competitive puts a lot of stress on their people. The suicide rate is very high among young people.  There is also a large number of people that have drinking issues. Many school aged children that got surveyed said they have a lot of stress and mental issues. Yet South Korea continues to create ways to care about their people and country. (McNair, South Korea).

                                                               Works Cited

McNair, Sylvia. South Korea.  “Enchantment of the World”. Library of Congress in Publication Division. 2017.

Somerville, Barbara. South Korea. “The Stepping-Stone into South Korea”.  Children’s Press and Scholastic Inc. 2016.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/09/how-south-korea-is-composting-its-way-to-sustainability

The Global Crisis of Coronavirus

By Eddie Hayes

The Covid-19 virus, commonly known as the coronavirus, has truly taken the world by storm. A few weeks ago our entire country was operating just fine and we were living our lives like any other day. In what seemed like an overnight phenomenon, confirmed cases of the coronavirus started to pop up in the United States. Soon, cases started to multiply and it wasn’t long until the whole country and even the world was turned upside down. This has truly and completely changed the world as we all know it. It has led to major disruptions in our health, our economy, and our social settings.

One obvious effect that the coronavirus has had on people all across the world is their health. The coronavirus has symptoms very similar to the flu, but can oftentimes be much worse. It is known for mainly targeting older people, however, there are also cases of much younger people, sometimes even in their 40s or 50s, who have had a real struggle with the virus. This poses a real threat to our healthcare system. If the coronavirus continues to spread, our hospitals will not be able to keep up with the influx of new patients who desperately seek medical attention.

This is an unprecedented medical crisis and was not anticipated, leading to the world being very unprepared for a situation like this. Some hospitals can not fit everyone into the hospital due to a lack of beds for patients. Also, we are starting to run low on medical supplies such as masks to protect the doctors and nurses, as well as ventilators which are used with people who are not doing well from the virus.

There are already examples in the world today of countries under severe hardship due to these issues. Italy has been hit very hard by the coronavirus and their entire healthcare system has essentially collapsed. An article in The Atlantic by Emily Buder details a filmmaker's visit to a hospital in Italy. “All 900 beds were occupied with patients suffering from complications of the virus,” she wrote. This is the harsh reality of what Italy is going through right now, as well as other places across the world. “Italy’s death toll had risen by 743 people in 24 hours. As of today, March 26, 7,503 people have died of COVID-19 in the country, with 74,386 still infected,”Buder continued. This global medical crisis has posed a massive threat to the world, as many countries struggle to stay afloat.

Another big issue presented alongside the emergence of the infamous coronavirus is the economy. Ever since coronavirus made national headlines, the economy took a serious nosedive and is struggling to stay under control. Since this virus is very contagious, people are going out less. This is detrimental to businesses who rely on their customers for income. In some cases, businesses are completely going out of business or being forced to shut down. This is leading to people being laid off and left behind. It has become so bad that there has been a hold placed on payments such as rent, stating that no one can currently be evicted from their current place of residence. On a much larger scale, our country is not allowing people who do not live inside the country to enter, which can interfere with international business and relationships. The economy has been seeing record low numbers and experts predict that things will most likely become much worse before they get better.

One final, but very important effect of the coronavirus is how it has affected our social settings. It seems as if the entire world has been put on pause for the last couple of weeks. Schools have been shutting down, people are getting laid off, and businesses are going under. People do not want to leave their houses unless it is for absolutely necessary circumstances. Even when they do leave their house, people are often seen wearing protective gear such as masks.

Many people are following the advice from professionals and practicing “social distancing.” This is where people keep a safe distance from others, avoiding any unnecessary contact that could possibly spread the virus. Furthermore, popular and nationwide events have been cancelled. Vacations, festivals and concerts have all felt the effects of the coronavirus. Even major sporting events such as NBA and NHL games have been suspended indefinitely. The Democratic primary debate was held in a remote location with no audience. The entire social setting of our country and the whole world has been completely uprooted due to the emergence of the coronavirus.

Clearly, this virus has had major effects on several aspects of our everyday lives. It has interrupted our healthcare systems, our economy, and even our social environment. The entire world seems to have been put on pause, as we wait for things to get better and we can all go back to our regular lives, with fears of coronavirus put behind us. 

Work Cited

    https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/608854/coronavirus-hospital-italy/

Social Crisis and Coronavirus

By Stefany Saltos

This report is no normal report. The source will be myself and the experiences I have while working at ShopRite during the coronavirus. The reason why I am referring to it as a social crisis is due to the social reaction of this pandemic.

It all started after President Trump announced his State of Union last week. I remember going into work and not being able to get to the time clock due to the amount of people on line waiting to get checked-out. Now I have been working at ShopRite for a few weeks and I can admit I am not one to watch the news, so of course it was a surprise to me to see that many people.

Regardless I was able to check-in and I started working. I was put behind a register and started checking people out. In that moment I realized how terrified people were getting, and how media influences their everyday life. I started asking myself, did they not realize that even in a quarantine supermarkets and pharmacies would still be open? Did they not do their own research? Did these people really only rely on what social media and the news tell them? So I started asking the customers, why were they buying so much, why were they panicking, and why were they thinking that we’d close?

And I’d always get the same answers, “well I saw it on Facebook to stock up in case the state would lock us in.” or I also got, “who knows how long this will last.” You could imagine my response, “As long as we’re open ma’am/sir we will always have the essentials like food and water. That will not go away as long as you guys take an appropriate amount.”

To this they would say, “well I’d rather have more then be left with none.” And so that is how after that one night, after being on the cash register for 4 hours back to back, after seeing the hundreds of dollars being wasted, I realized that the media and the news is all this population needs to turn themselves into madmen.

After we closed that night, we moved hand carts with returns and it took us two hours to put them back, and even after that there were still a few left. After that night, we were left with no toilet paper and water. For the next few days it was the same. There was a limit on water, people would complain about the limit. They would buy two waters, go leave it in their cars, come back and buy more. I had families claim they live in separate households just so they can take six to nine cases of water.

After two days we were left with no eggs or milk, mothers that had WIC weren’t able to get those items because they weren’t available. We ran out of bread, pasta, pasta sauce, canned vegetables, fresh vegetables and fruits. And even after the limits were set people would find loopholes, they would put in a different membership number to get more stuff, because the limit was per customer, they would go to different cashiers after each purchase so we wouldn’t recognize them. It got to the point where I was getting frustrated with the costumers, but there was nothing I can do.

One afternoon I went in and a lady needed assistance, so I helped her get waters, she was claiming she was getting some for her neighbor so I told her she could take two more. Then towards closing, I see her again but this time she was with her husband and he had his own cart. They were both getting more waters and trying to buy more cleaning supplies, because I was her cashier I remembered what she bought, so I went to tell my manager. I told her that she already came this afternoon, it’s not fair that people get to do this. There are elderly people that also need these supplies but when they get here they’re all gone because people like that woman try to take everything. And my manager told me there was nothing she could do, as long as it goes thru the registers system she can’t do anything about it. This frustrated me because after that lady already got her supplies and more, she still wanted more.

It shows you the extent people go, such madness, for no reason. I understand the difficulty this situation has brought to this country, this state, but acting like madmen isn’t going to solve the problem. People don’t realize that the more they take for themselves the less they leave for other people. That is what I try to tell people when they ask me why we placed limits, I tell them “because there are also people that need the same supplies as you, and it’s only fair that they get a chance to also have those supplies.” And then they’re either nasty with me or they understand.

The point of this article is to show the extent people are going to, and I don’t know if it’s because they are scared or worried or both, but what happened to being respectful of others and understanding, what happened to people having manners. Nowadays with what is going on, I feel like that was all thrown out the window. Instead of a community working together they’re working against one another. That’s the sad part, because then as a country we will be the ones to doom ourselves, and run our land out of resources.

A Global Health Crisis We Weren't Prepared For

By Sophie White

Pandemics are often predicted by authors and scientists who have dedicated their careers to researching global crises.  Reading books before knowing what is going to happen can be scary, but the really scary part is realizing they were right.  The Coronavirus is no exception.  These are very scary times to be living in and not knowing when it will get better is horrible.  The thought that we live in such an advanced society and not thinking something like this would happen and what to do when it does happen, it is a shock.

A recent article about COVID-19, “How Will the Coronavirus End?” by Ed Yong, discusses many of the things that need to be brought up.  For example, the article explains how unready America was even though we had many opportunities to become ready. “Rudderless, blindsided, lethargic, and uncoordinated, America has mishandled the COVID-19 crisis to a substantially worse degree than what every health expert I’ve spoken with had feared[...]The U.S. may end up with the worst outbreak in the industrialized world,” Yong wrote.

Thinking about all the other ways this could have been handled makes us think it did not have to happen this way with so many cases and so many lives taken.  If only actions were taken earlier on to try and prevent this tragedy from hitting us so hard.

Because we fell behind in the beginning with not being prepared enough, it is costing us in the long run.  Being quarantined for weeks now and not being able to leave our homes without necessity are the steps being taken to prevent further outbreak, but I am not sure how well it is really working.  People think they are okay and associate themselves with society even though they could potentially have COVID-19 they are just showing no symptoms because that is how this illness works.  This is why it spreads and this is why people need to practice social distancing no matter how silly or annoying it is.  This is a serious matter, it is people’s lives we are talking about here.  Should we not all be worried about the risks of going out and coming in contact with someone who has it and then bringing it home to our loved ones, because that is my biggest fear.

I work in a pharmacy and I witness first hand all the people coming in for supplies daily, and the now shortage of so many supplies.  The struggle to find even just toilet paper is a major task.  Not only daily supplies but now hospitals are running out of room for patients and care for them...if we were more prepared for the pandemic we are now facing, would we be in a better place right now?  It's hard to say, because after all a lot of our goods come from China, “ The first and most important is to rapidly produce masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment. If health-care workers can’t stay healthy, the rest of the response will collapse. In some places, stockpiles are already so low that doctors are reusing masks between patients, calling for donations from the public, or sewing their own homemade alternatives [...] Hubei province in China, the epicenter of the pandemic, was also a manufacturing center of medical masks”(Yong).

Coronavirus has hit America so hard and thinking about yet another month of quarantine is annoying, however we just have to stay strong and have faith that we will come out of this stronger than ever.  The most we can do as people is spread awareness and keep away from others to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Works Cited
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/