The COVID-19 pandemic, which began to make national news towards the end of 2019, has flipped 2020 on its head and changed the daily lives of almost everyone around the globe. The immediate effects of the virus and global quarantine are widely reported. It is almost impossible to go a single day without hearing about spikes in cases, overwhelmed hospitals and medical professionals, or the severe impact on mental health from the isolation of quarantine. While the pandemic has caused many people worldwide to change how they live their lives right now, how will COVID 19 change our world in the future?
Through research, experts have determined that the lockdown orders had a positive impact on the reduction of air pollution. The drop in activity of manufacturing and transportation sectors lowered greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to air pollution. Atmospheric scientist, Scott Collis says “Over China there was a 50% reduction in things like nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide due to the shutting down of heavy industries and factories.” Collis also reported a similar reduction occurred in New York through the decline in transportation services. The reduction in air pollution is attributed not only to the shutdown of industries on the ground, but the sky as well. “Before this coronavirus shutdown of air travel NOAA would receive approximately 900,000 measurements every day from these aircraft. At the moment this has dropped to about 300,000,” Collis reported.
Amy Jaffe, the director of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Energy Security and Climate Change program, also commented on the reduction in traffic as a result of staggered office hours and the newfound dependence on video calling services such as Zoom. These features have allowed the workday to occur from almost anywhere — and may even prove to be sustainable once lockdown restrictions have been lifted, leading to a reduction in pollution from traffic overall.
In addition to a reduction in air pollution, a reduction in water pollution has also been observed during the global lockdown. The drop in the concentration of pollutants in India’s Vembanad Lake showed a reduction of almost 16% in comparison to the previous year.
Although the COVID-19 shutdowns have resulted in pollution reductions and environmental benefits, the pandemic has also resulted in death and environmental downsides. Medical waste has reached record highs, with hospitals in Wuhan reporting the production of nearly 200 tons of waste per day in April. Solid waste from domestic lives and hospitals has also increased. In places linked to cases of the virus, the collection of this trash has shifted from a selective discard process to a common discard process. This somewhat selective process has been implemented in the United States while Italy has opted for a complete common discard in attempts to prevent the spread of the virus.
The world has experienced an increase in single use plastic materials as more and more people worldwide rely on the shipment of online products. This rise in online shopping has also led to growth in the pollution associated with delivery transportation.
Despite the positive environmental changes that have been observed, many scientists believe they will not last long. As China was the first country to go into a complete lockdown as well as one of the first to reopen, it has become the primary location scientists are looking at in order to predict what will occur in different countries as the world transitions out of lockdown. While satellites were able to observe dramatic reductions in air pollution over China in the early months of the pandemic, pressure to avoid an economic recession has led to an increase or regression in air pollution as manufacturing industries begin returning to business as usual. Ecological Economist, Jon Erikson, has commented on this impending rise in emissions stating, “We never want to do things in crisis mode,” Erickson says. Instead, we have a “five to 10 year window” to “completely transform the economy so that the worst side of the contraction can be reduced, so that we can protect those who are most vulnerable.”
The change in daily life has presented the world with the opportunity to dramatically change the way we practice business in order to transition into more sustainable practices. Transitioning to nature based solutions in the land-use and food sector would provide an estimated $4.5 million per year by 2030 in new and innovative opportunities for business. Not only do changes like this lead to a more sustainable way of conducting business, it also helps to support the economy, which would relieve the concerns many consumers have vocalized during the pandemic.
The effects of climate change and the pandemic go hand in hand, as scientists have observed areas of high air pollution leave people more vulnerable to respiratory infections. Pollutants and contaminants in the environment can also diminish the ability of cells to fend off different illnesses. This correlation highlights the importance to place importance on sustainable practices that aim to reduce pollution in order to make the world a safer place to live.
The opportunity to make positive changes in order to conserve the world around us seems more important and more achievable than ever. Utilizing this time of uncertainty to make these transitions is a key opportunity for the world to make strides toward a more eco-friendly future.
Sources:
Environmental Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns Seen from Space
How China can take the lead on protecting nature after COVID-19
Coronavirus and climate change: A tale of two crises | DW | 05.03.2020
What Are The Benefits Of Local Production?
Coronavirus and climate change: A tale of two crises | DW | 05.03.2020
Coronavirus Is Improving Water Quality — For Now, At Least
The negative impacts of environmental pollutants on COVID-19 health outcomes
The positive and negative impacts of Coronavirus pandemic in the environment – myWaste
Why COVID-19 will end up harming the environment
The Unexpected Environmental Consequences of COVID-19
Environmental Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns Seen from Space
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498239/#!po=0.877193
Written by Hannah Whitson.