Today mark’s the 50th anniversary of Earth Day While the world is on ‘reset’ mode, and as we close ourselves in and cocoon, the skies are opening up and the nature around us is reawakening.

With the Himalayas in view for the first time in years and animals taking over empty city streets, carbon emissions and world pollution have visibly dropped. How we will move forward in this ‘new normal’ is yet to be determined. But one thing’s for sure, together we can take this lesson from Mother Earth and come out on the other side a better and improved version ourselves.

Check out some of our favorite lockdown stories from around the world.

The Animals Taking Over Cities While the World is in Lockdown

With more than 200 countries affected by coronavirus (at the time of writing), governments around the world have imposed lockdown measures and advised citizens to stay indoors as much as possible. In the meantime, animals are freely roaming the streets.

Rams roaming the streets outside storefronts
Credit Getty Images

'Nature is taking back Venice': wildlife returns to tourist-free city

With the cruise ships gone and the souvenir stalls closed, the coronavirus lockdown has transformed La Serenissima’s waterways. Look down into the waters of the Venice canals today and there is a surprising sight – not just a clear view of the sandy bed, but shoals of tiny fish, scuttling crabs and multicoloured plant-life.

Photograph: Andrea Pattaro/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus: Goats take over empty streets of seaside town

A herd of goats has taken over a deserted town centre, eating hedges and flowers from gardens. Usually, the wild herd of about 122 Kashmiri goats venture from the Great Orme into Llandudno during bad weather.

The Pandemic Has Led to a Huge, Global Drop in Air Pollution

The coronavirus pandemic is shutting down industrial activity and temporarily slashing air pollution levels around the world, satellite imagery from the European Space Agency shows. One expert said the sudden shift represented the “largest-scale experiment ever,” in terms of the reduction of industrial emissions.

Courtesy of European Space Agency

People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in 'decades,' as the lockdown eases air pollution

People in the northern Indian state of Punjab are reacting with awe at the sight of the Himalayan mountain range, which is now visible from more than 100 miles away due to the reduction in air pollution caused by the country's coronavirus lockdown.

22 Uplifting Stories From Around the World

About half of the world's population is currently in lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis. But even as billions of people stay at home, communities across the world are finding ways to connect with each other.

Credit Getty Images

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