How COVID-19 and Climate Change Affect Breathing

"COVID has impacting so many with illness and killed over 600,000 just in this country alone," Drew Lanham, a cultural and conservation ornithologist at Clemson University, told NOVA.

On average, we each take 8.5 million breaths in a year. Deep breathing reaches all parts of one's lungs, allows full exchange of CO2 for oxygen, slows one's heartbeat, and stabilizes blood pressure. But the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 can attack the cells in the air sacs of the lungs, limiting the flow of oxygen into the body and the flow of carbon dioxide out. Simply put, the virus creates these "sticky surfaced, clogged, mucous-filled organs that betray us," Lanham says. "So COVID has given us reasons to appreciate each breath."

Here's what Lanham says about the importance of breath and getting outside in the form of birdwatching—and how the pandemic's effects on one's ability to breathe echoes the physiological and often disproportionate effects of climate change on certain communities.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Produced by: Ari Daniel
Production Assistance: Christina Monnen
Archival:
Shutterstock
Storyblocks
BirdNote
Sound Effects:
samfk360 / freesound / CC0 1.0
TRP / freesound / CC0 1.0
Music: APM

© WGBH Educational Foundation 2021

[danielcasella]

a Good Prospective, Thx for your Mindfulness share!

[pljohnson]

It's how we lived and grew up as kids years ago in a valley surrounded by mountains. Fresh water. Fresh air. We didn't know how fortunate we were. It was just home.

[dannywatts]

You should look into the breathing techniques of Wim Hof

[paulette]

Thanks for that great description of how to find ways to breathe. I will look for the trees.

[dannywatts]

Why did you have to bring "the color" of people into the mix? We are all human and the same race. Im not an alien to this planet, are you?

[japprivera]

Trees!! But, doomed species humans "progress" have no use for trees.