The Environmental Effect of COVID-19: Will there be a lasting impact?

By Haley Smith

Written June 5th, 2020

The year 2020 certainly started off with a bang - in a matter of months the world was transformed from a virus that was previously unknown before appearing in the city of Wuhan, China back in December of 2019. As of June 5, 2020, there have been a total of 1,862,656 cases and 108,064 deaths just in the United States alone, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Coronavirus, commonly referred to as COVID-19, is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case can be traced back to November of 2019. Also as of June 5, 2020, more than 6.7 million cases have been reported across 188 countries and territories, resulting in more than 393,000 deaths. However, more than 2.9 million people have recovered. There is no vaccine to prevent the disease and the virus is thought to be spread mainly from person to person, so the CDC is urging citizens across the world to socially distance themselves from others.

Although the number of deaths is staggering, and people across the world are suffering from the many negative effects of this global pandemic, one thing scientists and civilians are noticing are the positive impacts the virus is having on our environment. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have fallen across the globe as countries try to contain the spread of this coronavirus. Ever since the outbreak in Wuhan, streets have been deserted due to a strict lockdown. In Italy, the most extensive travel restrictions since World WarⅡare in place. In London, the normally bustling meetup locations such as pubs, bars, and theatres have been closed and people have been told to stay in their homes. Worldwide, flights are being cancelled or turning around in mid-air. Those who are able to do so are isolated at home, practicing social distancing and working remotely. As industries, transport networks and businesses have closed down, and as a result of all of these things, there has been a sudden drop in carbon emissions. Compared with this time last year, levels of pollution in New York City have reduced by nearly 50% because of measures to contain the virus.

In China, emissions fell by 25% at the start of 2020 as people were instructed to stay at home, causing factories to close and coal use fell by 40% at China’s six largest power plants when compared to the last quarter of 2019. The proportion of days with “good quality air” was up 11.4% compared with the same time last year in 337 cities across China, according to its Ministry of Ecology and Environment. In Europe, satellite images show nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions fading away over northern Italy. Similar results are playing out in Spain and the United Kingdom.

Image Credits: CNN

A global pandemic that is claiming people’s lives certainly shouldn’t be seen as a productive way of bringing about positive environmental change. It’s far from certain how lasting this dip in emissions will be. When the pandemic eventually subsides, will carbon and pollutant emissions bounce back so much that it will be as if this interlude never happened? Could the changes we see today have a more preserving effect? Kimberly Nicholas, a sustainability science researcher at Lund University in Sweden, says the first thing to consider is the different reasons that emissions have dropped. One example is transport, which makes up 23% of global carbon emissions. These emissions have fallen in the short term in countries where public health measures, such as keeping people in their homes, have cut unnecessary travel. Driving and aviation are key contributors to emissions from transport, contributing 72% and 11% of the transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions respectively. We know that for the duration of reduced travel during the pandemic, these emissions will stay lowered. But what will happen when measures are eventually lifted?

It’s safe to say that no one would have wanted for emissions to be lowered this way. COVID-19 has taken a formidable global toll on lives, health services, jobs and mental health. But, if anything, it has also shown the difference that communities can make when they look out for each other – and that’s one lesson that could be invaluable in dealing with climate change. We don’t know what will happen when measures are lifted, but for now the Himalayan Mountains can be seen from India for the first time in thirty years and the skyline in Beirut, Lebanon, a city known for high levels of air pollution, has been cleared.

Image credits: CNN Twitter via Travel, Getty Images