During an interview with ABC News on Monday, outgoing Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the Department of State Monica Medina stated that during the lockdowns that took place during the coronavirus pandemic, many people “really appreciated how much they enjoyed getting to be in the environment more days than they would” if they had been at work and that “we saw pollution levels go down and people went, huh, my quality of life is a little bit better now” because they didn’t have to worry as much about air pollution as they did before.
Medina said that “a lot of people during the pandemic” discovered a greater appreciation for the environment, “because they were at home, and when they went outside, they really appreciated how much they enjoyed getting to be in the environment more days than they would if they would have been in the office. And in fact, we saw pollution levels go down and people went, huh, my quality of life is a little bit better now that I don’t have to worry about whether it’s code red day for smog or air pollution. So, people did become more aware.”
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