Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Climate, Covid-19 and the American South

By Taylor Koster

When turning on the television, it almost seems like the news is on every channel. This pandemic has had some effect on everyone’s lives; recently, a softball coach of mine passed due to the pandemic. People in America are struggling to get by. Whether there are customers fighting over toilet paper, to families getting laid off from work, things haven’t been easy, to say the least. Driving on the road is only for essential travel and there has been a new curfew placed at 8 pm. 

From this pandemic, researchers have been making comments the air is clearer and cleaner. The opposing direction of where we are is having other ideas at this time. It seems as though states are rebelling against restrictions given no matter where the stance is; Citizens are trying to do everything and anything possible to resolve this pandemic.


The social media website, Twitter, went viral over a New York Times article reporting about a man in Atlanta buying a hospital to take people suffering from the coronavirus. Johnny Presley has purchased many hospitals to resolve the issue of the pandemic. In the NY Times article, Presley states, “The governors of the Southern states did not take this seriously enough… I think we’re really going to suffer through this pandemic.” 

It’s a bit ironic for Presley to be saying this, especially being a Republican trying to campaign for a seat in the senate. Medical professionals like Presley who are behind the scenes have their voices unheard on what they see happening with the pandemic in the south region.


Through all of the struggles states like New Jersey are facing from this pandemic, the channel is changed in my household to people walking down the beach in Florida. The new norm is walking around seeing people in masks as well as gloves. Reporters for this newscast were wearing nothing of the sort, and it was noticeable as well that the pedestrians weren’t wearing much protection either. 


The Washington Post explains in an article, “(So far) there have been four deaths from COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes, and more than 200 confirmed cases in the county, a sliver of the 35,463 cases and 1,364 deaths in Florida.” Due to walks on the beach, citizens are worsening the spread of the virus. People in Florida aren’t taking things seriously, which is worsening not only the spread of the virus, but the spread of air pollution. 


Climate change has been an ongoing issue for longer than people assume. Taking this class has given me information that Americans should be more aware of. Greenhouse gases pouring into the air has caused severe issues in the environment. There were points in time schools would teach students about reusing, reducing, and recycling. Today, a lot of environmentalists display their fears and wonder what the future holds. 


An article in The Guardian states, “The new governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, announced surprising plans for big environmental reforms earlier this month, without mentioning climate change (a term his predecessor, Rick Scott, also refused to use).”  The quote from this article shows, even for people who don’t believe climate change is real, they are trying to do something to solve this issue.


As a joke, my mother approached me the other day, notifying me that we’re going on a road trip to Georgia because they’re opening up malls and beauty salons. While most states in this area are in quarantine with curfews, Georgia is listening to our president’s orders in opening up early. Georgia isn’t the only one, other states in the south are following these orders as well. 


CNN has a site that shows all of the states and their planned schedule in opening. When looking through the different states, taking notes on where each state is located shows this reoccurring pattern. Most southern states display their reopening to be early May. States near New Jersey display their reopening to be later than that. Sources show that southern states are reopening early because they’re considered red states, and the south will always give their support to President Trump. 


An article by Megan Mayhew Bergman begins by stating, “I’ve long felt America, particularly the south, where I grew up, is in the ‘denial’ stage of grief when it comes to our psychological response to climate change.” Citizens of the south see from their own perspective, and are in disbelief in our doings of climate change. This article brings up that there are more things to worry about than issues like these; expenses seem more significant to people than worrying about the safety of our earth. Every day things worsen without citizens having any idea. The more these citizens are in disbelief, the more likely things could potentially worsen. Southerners block out topics like these because they’re a bit political, but conversations like these are essential in making the world a better place for us to live. 


The articles I’ve been reading have evidence that the coronavirus doesn’t seem to be handled as it should be. Medical professionals, as well as reliable sources, have proven the negative effects of how this country is doing at this time. There are two separate views as to how things should be handled. Considering how America is treating this pandemic, working together is what should be a priority at this time. 


The same mindset should go for climate change. At this time, people and our planet are suffering, and instead of assisting the suffering, our country is debating on who’s right and who’s wrong. World events like these need to be resolved, rather than the country picking sides; maybe something should be done about it. To this day, people are still debating whether or not things like these are conspiracies or issues caused by the government.



Bibliography


Bergman, Megan Mayhew. “Why People in the US South Stay Put in the Face of Climate Change.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Jan. 2019, www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/24/us-south-climate-change.


Fausset, Richard, and Rick Rojas. “Across the South, 'Walking a Tightrope' While Awaiting the Worst.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/us/coronavirus-american-south.html.

Kornfield, Meryl. “Florida County's Medical Examiner Begged Officials to Close Beaches, Internal Emails Reveal.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 May 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/03/florida-countys-medical-examiner-begged-officials-close-beaches-internal-emails-reveal/.

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