COVID-19 and its Environmental Effects

Over the last few months, the world has faced a completely new challenge. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying while even more have fallen ill due to a new strain of the coronavirus that made its appearance in Wuhan, China in November of 2019. Beyond the catastrophic health effects that the coronavirus has had on  its victims, it has also changed the lifestyles of those who have not yet contracted the disease. Worldwide, the normally busy and lively streets of cities around the world have become dormant and almost eerie: parts of  China are on complete lockdown, Italy has placed the most restrictive travel ban since World War Two, and London has closed all bars, theaters, and many other places of gathering as people are told to quarantine in their homes worldwide.

While the aim of these restrictions is to hinder the escalation of this deadly outbreak, it has also yielded some unexpected consequences. As many industries, transportation, and businesses have closed down, there have been sudden and significant drops in carbon emissions worldwide. Some of the largest emitters of harmful greenhouse gases include airplanes, automobiles, trucks, and trains. While many cars and trucks are still being used during this pandemic, both automobile and air traffic has decreased significantly over the past months, notably decreasing quantities of air pollutants measured mainly in major cities. The levels of pollution in New York alone have decreased by nearly 50% compared to those in the previous year. The carbon emissions in China have also dwindled by 25% since the beginning of 2020 and the use of coal has fallen by 40% in six of its largest power plants. According to its Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China has also had an 11.4% increase in the proportion of days with good quality air in 337 of its cities. In countries such as Spain, Italy, and the UK, satellite images have displayed a common trend of nitrogen dioxide emissions fading away since the beginning of government-mandated “lockdowns” and self-implemented social distancing practices.

While the coronavirus shutdown has highlighted the powerful effects large corporations and transportation have on the environment, these sudden decreases in greenhouse gas emission are still less than what scientists believe is necessary to halt the worrisome trend of worldwide climate change. The real test of the pandemic’s unprecedented environmental effects would be seen in how the world responds to the return of normalcy after the pandemic. Will industries embrace this opportunity to generate jobs in renewable energy or increase the resilience of coast lines to climate changes? It is also critical to continue to inform the public of the effects this pandemic has had on the environment. Many environmentalists and conservationists stress that returning to the lifestyle that we had prior to the pandemic will dismantle any positive environmental effects we have witnessed thus far. We must all work together to ensure that we maintain sustainable practices beyond this international emergency to prolong the impact of the recent environmental events.