The coronavirus has taken the shine out of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, a huge setback in the battle against climate change, but environmentalists are hoping the pandemic will provide a valuable lesson that will help people build a more sustainable future.
The Earth Day events that were expected to draw a billion people worldwide have mostly been canceled, including numerous events in the Bay Area, and forced environmental leaders to focus instead on what can be learned from the response to COVID-19.