THE
THE CW.
THE CW. YOU KNOW IT'S IMAGES LIKE THESE THAT REMIND US HOW SPECIAL OUR ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT REALLY IS. TODAY IS
THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF
EARTH DAY WITH THE CORONA
VIRUS. OUR DAILY ROUTINES AND
WAY OF LIFE CHANGE DRASTICALLY.
AND IT HAS AFFECTED OUR
ENVIRONMENT. THESE ARE SEVERAL
LESSONS WE CAN TAKE AWAY ON
THIS EARTH DAY AND WE WANT TO
SHOW YOU THIS SILVER LINING.
NEWS 8 IS NOT A RON PAUL JOINS
US LIVE WITH LOCAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS.
YEAH, ON THIS EARTH DAY WE
THOUGHT WE'D TAKE A LOOK AT
THE STATE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT
RIGHT NOW. OF COURSE NONE OF US
WANT TO BE SUFFERING THROUGH
THIS CULVERT 19 PANDEMIC BUT
CERTAINLY THE STAY AT HOME
ORDERS ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE
GO ABOUT OUR DAILY LIVES. SO WE
WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT
THE IMPACTS HERE LOCALLY IN SAN
DIEGO HAVE OUR POLLUTION LEVELS
GONE DOWN? AND YES, THEY SURE
HAVE. TAKE A LOOK. TAKING A
STEP OUTSIDE THESE DAYS CAN
FEEL LIKE SUCH A BREATH OF
FRESH AIR. THAT'S BECAUSE IT
ACTUALLY IS. WHILE SAN DIEGO
KIDS ARE FORCED TO GET
INNOVATIVE IN WAYS WE NEVER
THOUGHT WE'D HAVE TO AT LEAST
WERE NOTICING A BIT OF
IMPROVEMENT IN EMISSIONS.
ACCORDING TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL OFFICER
BEEN DOING THIS FOR 38 YEARS.
I'M AN ETERNAL OPTIMIST. I
THINK THIS IS A GOOD LEARNING
EXPERIENCE FOR US TO KNOW THAT
WE CAN DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
AND IT'S THE THINGS WE'RE DOING
DIFFERENTLY BY STAYING AT HOME.
THAT MEANS FAR FEWER CARS AND
TRUCKS ON THE ROAD, LESS SHIPS,
TRAINS AND PLANES TOO. AND BOB
CARR POINTS OUT NITROGEN
DIOXIDE THE STUFF THAT TURNS
THE SKY BROWNISH AND BURNS YOUR
EYES AND LUNGS IS DOWN BY 26
PERCENT DURING THE PEAK COMMUTE
IN CHULA VISTA WHEN YOU COMPARE
MARCH THIS YEAR TO LAST YEAR.
COUNTY WIDE THE MEASUREMENT FOR
DIESEL EXHAUST IS DOWN ABOUT 14
PERCENT SHOWS WE CAN CHANGE AND
WE CAN MOVE THAT AIR POLLUTION
MID METER THE NEEDLE I SHOULD
SAY DOWNWARD QUITE A WAYS. AND
WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT OZONE
POLLUTION IS IT'S A CORROSIVE
GAS THAT ACTUALLY IF YOU THINK
ABOUT A SUNBURN ON YOUR SKIN IT
CAN HAVE THAT SAME TYPE OF
EFFECT ON THE LUNGS. IT CAN
ALSO CAUSE CANCER. THE AMERICAN
LUNG ASSOCIATION PUT SAN DIEGO
SIXTH ON THE LIST FOR WORST AIR
IN THE U.S. WITH AN AVERAGE OF
SIX WEEKS OF UNHEALTHY EVERY
YEAR. SO WE DO HAVE ROOM FOR
IMPROVEMENT. CLIMATE CHANGE IS
MAKING IT HARDER TO CLEAN UP
OUR AIR IN TERMS OF MORE
EXTREME HEAT AND EXTREME AND
CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRES.
THE EXPERT ON THAT GEOCHEMIST
RALPH KEELING, THE SON OF
THE LATE PIONEER OF CLIMATE
SCIENCE CHARLES KEELING WHO
FOUNDED THE KILLING CURVE
THAT'S BEEN THE MEASURE OF CO2
IN OUR ATMOSPHERE SINCE
THE 1950S. OUR ATMOSPHERE IS
BASICALLY THE CUMULATIVE WASTE
PILE OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION ALL THE WAY TO
PRESENT. SO TO SEE ANY CLEARING
OF THAT WASTE PILE HE SAYS NOT
LIKELY IN OUR LIFETIME. I THINK
PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP TO
THE DANGERS AT THE SAME TIME
WE'RE EMITTING MORE THAN EVER
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY RACING INTO
THIS PROBLEM FASTER THAN EVER.
SO WE NEED WE NEED TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO PUT THE BRAKES ON.
SO IT IS IT IS A FLATTENING
THE CURVE PROBABLY WHEN WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR
CURVE. IT CAN ALSO BE
FLATTENED. FOR EXAMPLE, OUR
EMISSIONS FROM CARS AND TRUCKS
WOULD NEED TO STAY DOWN ABOUT
10 PERCENT FOR ONE YEAR FOR A
SMALL DEVIATION AND ACCORDING
TO THE MANY EXPERTS WHO STUDY
OUR POLLUTION IN OUR
ATMOSPHERE, THERE WOULD BE WELL
WORTH IT AT SOME POINT I GOT A
VIEW ALL THE WAY DOWN
THE COASTLINE WAY DOWN PAST
ROSARITO TO THE POINT DOWN
THERE AND IT WAS JUST SO
STUNNING CLEAR. IT'S LIKE YOU
COULD JUST TOUCH IT. I DON'T
EVER REMEMBER SEEING IT. IT WAS
NOT A PARTICLE IN THE AIR. SO
IF YOU'VE ALREADY FIGURED OUT
HOW TO MAKE THOSE ZOOM MEETINGS
WORK FOR YOU AND YOU HAVE YOUR
OWN HOME OFFICE ALL SET UP,
THEN MAYBE IT'S WORTH THINKING
COULD YOU CONTINUE TO WORK THIS
WAY? I THINK WHAT THIS HAS
SHOWN US IS THAT WE ACTUALLY
CAN TELL A WORK OR TELECOMMUTE
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
YOU GET THE CARS OFF THE ROAD
AND STILL BE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE
POST PANDEMIC SOME OF THIS NEW
NORM MAY BE LESS PAINFUL TO
EMBRACE IF WE REALIZE IT IS IN
FACT BEGINNING TO CLEAR THE AIR
IN A COUPLE OF THE EXPERTS I
SPOKE WITH AND SAY, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS ALL GIVING US A GLIMPSE
AT WHAT OUR EARTH AND OUR AIR
COULD LOOK LIKE AND FEEL LIKE
IF WE WERE TO GO ALL ELECTRIC.
SO IT'S AT LEAST SOMETHING TO
STRIVE FOR RIGHT NOW. OF COURSE
WE ARE DEFINITELY DEALING WITH
A