Last March, as Covid-19 lockdowns were coming into force in Europe, seismologist Thomas Lecocq of the Royal Observatory of Belgium noticed that the Earth was suddenly stiller. Every day, as humans operate our factories, drive our cars, even simply walk on our sidewalks, we rattle the planet. Last spring, many videos went viral of wild animals moving into our cities. Herds of wild goats, crocodiles, leopards and even elephants wandered streets now devoid of traffic. And as manufacturing ceased, satellites high above our planet looked down and detected the disappearance of pollution.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 16, 2020 15:01 UTC