What was supposed to be a landmark, weekend-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day ​— ​the environmentally minded holiday that was inspired in part by the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 ​— ​is now just another event canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Curiously, though, as millions around the world hunker down and worry about the novel coronavirus, the planet ​— ​at least the part beyond humankind ​— ​seems to be doing better. You can see the Himalayas from urban India for the first time in a generation, Los Angeles boasts some of the cleanest air on the planet, and wild critters are reclaiming Yosemite National Park. These changes are almost certainly fleeting, but they do suggest that humans can make meaningful change in a relatively short period of time.

For this week’s issue, after four straight weeks of dedicated COVID-19 coverage, the Santa Barbara Independent is back to presenting a more traditional cover story package. Yes, the following stories are mostly connected to the coronavirus, but we’re using Earth Day as a good time to reflect on what we can learn from this pandemic to empower the battle against climate change.