For years I've watched the rivers in Washington State receive consideration. Progress has been made and continues to be.

Saying humankind has done "nothing" is not only mistaken, but makes for poor conversation. Perhaps more people should take a page from Attenborough.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/dec/17/for-the-first-...

I think it speaks volumes that the very people responsible for this positive change were themselves victims of near extinction due to consumption and greed.

The only real hope the worlds ecosystems have is drastic and sudden reduction in human population, which won't be pleasant for anyone.

This was proved by the resurgence of nature in the areas surrounding Chernobyl. I've been a part of a coral conservation project in SEAsia for the last 15 years, and we have seen more recovery over the last year due to tourists being gone than ever before.

Unfortunately the boat captains who were ferrying snorkelers before have gone back to fishing the reefs, so that change was short lived. We are also beginning to see signs of a major bleaching event.

The long term impacts of COVID are going to see a relaxation of ecological protections worldwide, which I imagine will have a similar effect.

Remember when acid rain was a serious threat, or the hole in the ozone layer? While we still have some work to go, we’ve actually done a lot of good work to stop these problems and begin reversing the damage that we caused. We can and do clean up after ourselves.