Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment

By Maria Mihaescu (Austria, ESC Be Green 2020)

<a href='https://www.freepik.es/vectores/fondo'>Vector de Fondo creado por freepik - www.freepik.es</a>

The increase of the amount of greenhouse gases contributes to global warming, causing effects like melting of glaciers and rising sea levels. Through lockdowns during the pandemic we have reduced our footprint and this led to a lot of positive impacts on the environment, but there are also some negative consequences.

The air and water pollution dropped because of the COVID-19 measures in many regions. A study published in May 2020 found that the daily global carbon emissions during the lockdown measures in early April fell by 17% and could lead to an annual carbon emissions decline of up to 7%, which would be the biggest drop since World War II according to the researchers.

For example in China the carbon emissions have been reduced by 25% and the nitrogen oxides emissions by 50%. Furthermore, in North India, the Himalayas are visible again for the first time in decades, due to the drop in pollution. Also in Venice, the water in the canals cleared because of the decrease in boat traffic and of the air pollution along the waterways.

As people stayed at home due to lockdown and travel restrictions, some animals have been spotted in cities. Sea turtles were spotted laying eggs on beaches they once avoided.

But all of these positive impacts are likely to be temporary. Increased reliance on single-use plastics and low oil prices resulting from lockdowns had led to some negative situations. As a consequence of the use of disposable face masks, a significant number of masks were thrown away in the natural environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, plastics demand for medical usage has increased considerably in some countries. Besides personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, a considerable increase in plastic usage has been related to requirements of packaging, and single-use items. So this has increased the already existing environmental issues with plastics. While carbon emissions dropped during the pandemic, methane emissions (which is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide) from livestock continued to rise.

The disruption from the pandemic provided cover for illegal deforestation operations. This was observed in Brazil, where satellite imagery showed deforestation of the Amazon rainforest surging by over 50 percent compared to baseline levels.

So let us not forget that, « a pandemic is the worst possible way to reduce emissions » and that « technological, behavioral, and structural change is the best and only way to reduce emissions » – energy and climate expert Constantine Samaras.

Even in these times, you can make a change and try to economize on the single use masks, plastic gloves, plastic sanitizer bottles and dispose the waste in the right containers. It’s all about finding the most ethical and economic alternatives to keep ourselves healthy and safe. Try to keep all the good behaviors that you acquired in the lockdown. There are hard times but in these kinds of situations you will learn the most!