ROSE SAPARYA

6-C

‘Impact of
Covid- 19 on the
Environment. Is
it a boon or a
bane?’
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on the environment
 The worldwide disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in
numerous impacts on the environment and the climate. The considerable decline in
planned travel has caused many regions to experience a large drop in air pollution. In
China, lockdowns and other measures resulted in a 25 per cent reduction in carbon
emissions and 50 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions, which one Earth
systems scientist estimated may have saved at least 77,000 lives over two months.
Other positive impacts on the environment include governance-system-controlled
investments towards a sustainable energy transition and other goals related to
environmental protection such as the European Union's seven-year €1 trillion budget
proposal and €750 billion recovery plan "Next Generation EU" which seeks to reserve
25% of EU spending for climate-friendly expenditure.

 However, the outbreak has also provided cover for illegal activities such as
deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and poaching in Africa, hindered
environmental diplomacy efforts, and created economic fallout that some predict will
slow investment in green energy technologies.
 Air quality
Due to the coronavirus outbreak's impact on travel and industry, many regions and
the planet as a whole experienced a drop in air pollution. Reducing air pollution can
reduce both climate change and COVID-19 risks[28] but it is not yet clear which
types of air pollution are common risks to both climate change and COVID-19. The
Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported that methods to contain the
spread of coronavirus, such as quarantines and travel bans, resulted in a 25 per cent
reduction of carbon emission in China. In the first month of lockdowns, China
produced approximately 200 million fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide than the
same period in 2019, due to the reduction in air traffic, oil refining, and coal
consumption. One Earth systems scientist estimated that this reduction may have
saved at least 77,000 lives. However, Sarah Ladislaw from the Center for Strategic &
International Studies argued that reductions in emissions due to economic downturns
should not be seen as beneficial, stating that China's attempts to return to previous
rates of growth amidst trade wars and supply chain disruptions in the energy market
will worsen its environmental impact. Between 1 January and 11 March 2020, the
European Space Agency observed a marked decline in nitrous oxide emissions from
cars, power plants, and factories in the Po Valley region in northern Italy, coinciding
with lockdowns in the region.
 Wildlife
 Fish prices and demand for fish have decreased
due to the pandemic, and fishing fleets around
the world sit mostly idle. German scientist Rainer
Froese has said the fish biomass will increase due
to the sharp decline in fishing, and projected that
in European waters, some fish such as herring
could double their biomass. As of April 2020,
signs of aquatic recovery remain mostly
anecdotal.
 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 (such as the
coast of the Bay of Bengal), due to the lowered
levels of human interference and light pollution.
In the United States, fatal vehicle collisions with
animals such as deer, elk, moose, bears, mountain
lions fell by 58% during March and April.
 Fish prices and demand for fish have decreased
due to the pandemic, and fishing fleets around
the world sit mostly idle. German scientist Rainer
Froese has said the fish biomass will increase due
to the sharp decline in fishing, and projected that
in European waters, some fish such as herring
could double their biomass. As of April 2020,
signs of aquatic recovery remain mostly
anecdotal.
 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 (such as the
coast of the Bay of Bengal), due to the lowered
levels of human interference and light pollution.
In the United States, fatal vehicle collisions with
animals such as deer, elk, moose, bears, mountain
lions fell by 58% during March and April.
Deforestation and reforestation
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 per cent compared to baseline
levels. Unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
facilitated the recruitment of labourers for Pakistan's 10 Billion
Tree Tsunami campaign to plant 10 billion trees – the
estimated global annual net loss of trees – over the span of 5
years.
 In a study published in August 2020,
scientists estimate that global NOx
emissions declined by as much as 30% in
April but were offset by ~20% reduction
in global SO2 emissions that weakens the
Carbon emissions
cooling effect and conclude that the direct
effect of the response to the pandemic on
global warming will likely be negligible,
with an estimated cooling of around 0.01
±0.005 °C by 2030 compared to a
baseline scenario but that indirect effects
due to an economic recovery tailored
towards stimulating a green economy,
such as by reducing fossil fuel
investments, could avoid future warming
of 0.3 °C by 2050. The study indicates
that systemic change in how humanity
powers and feeds itself is required for a
substantial impact on global warming.
Click icon to add picture
Fossil fuel industry
A report by the London-based think tank Carbon
Tracker concludes that the coronavirus pandemic
may have pushed the fossil fuel industry into
"terminal decline" as demand for oil and gas
decreases while governments aim to accelerate the
clean energy transition. It predicts that an annual
2% decline in demand for fossil fuels could cause
the future profits of oil, gas and coal companies to
collapse from an estimated $39tn to $14tn.
However, according to Bloomberg New Energy
Finance more than half a trillion dollars worldwide
are currently intended to be poured into high-carbon
industries.[60] Preliminary disclosures from the
Bank of England's Covid Corporate Financing
Facility indicate that billions of pounds of taxpayer
support are intended to be funneled to fossil fuel
companies. According to Reclaim Finance the
European Central Bank intends to allocate as much
as €220bn to fossil fuel industries. An assessment
by Ernst & Young finds that a stimulus program that
focuses on renewable energy and climate-friendly
projects could create more than 100,000 direct jobs
across Australia and estimates that every $1m spent
on renewable energy and exports creates 4.8 full-
time jobs in renewable infrastructure while $1m on
fossil fuel projects would only create 1.7 full-time
jobs.
 Litter
 As a consequence of the unprecedented use of
disposable face masks, a significant number of masks
were discarded in the natural environment, adding to
the worldwide burden of plastic waste. During
COVID-19 pandemic, plastics demand for medical
usage has increased considerably in some countries.
Besides personal protective equipment (PPE) such as
masks and gloves, a considerable increase in plastic
usage has been related to requirements packaging, and
single-use items. Collectively, these shifts in hospitals
and regular life may exacerbate environmental issues
with plastics, which already existed even before the
pandemic occurred.
 Politics
 
The pandemic has also impacted
environmental policy and climate
diplomacy, as the 2020 United
Nations Climate Change Conference
was postponed to 2021 in response to
the pandemic after its venue was
converted to a field hospital. This
conference was crucial as nations
were scheduled to submit enhanced
nationally determined contributions to
the Paris Agreement. The pandemic
also limits the ability of nations,
particularly developing nations with
low state capacity, to submit
nationally determined contributions,
as they are focusing on the pandemic
Time highlighted three possible risks: that
preparations for the November 2020 Glasgow
conference planned to follow the 2015 Paris
Agreement were disrupted; that the public would
see global warming as a lower priority issue than
the pandemic, weakening the pressure on
politicians; and that a desire to "restart" the
global economy would cause an excess in extra
greenhouse gas production. However the drop in
oil prices during the coronavirus recession could
be a good opportunity to get rid of fossil fuel
subsidies, according to the Executive Director of
the International Energy Agency.
 Carbon Tracker argues that China should not
stimulate the economy by building planned coal-
fired power stations, because many would have
negative cashflow and would become stranded
assets
 Predicted rebound effect
 The restarting of greenhouse-gas producing industries and transport following the
COVID-19 lockdowns was hypothesized as an event that would contribute to
increasing greenhouse gas production rather than reducing it. In the transport sector,
the pandemic could trigger several effects, including behavioral changes – such as
more teleworking and teleconferencing and changes in business models – which could,
in turn, translate in reductions of emissions from transport. On the other hand, there
could be a shift away from public transport, driven by fear of contagion, and reliance
on single-occupancy cars, which would significantly increase emissions. However, city
planners are also creating new cycle paths in some cities during the pandemic.

 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recommends

governments continue to enforce existing air pollution regulations during the COVID-
19 crisis and after the crisis, and channel financial support measures to public transport
providers to enhance capacity and quality with a focus on reducing crowding and
promoting cleaner facilities.
Impact on environmental monitoring
and prediction
Weather
Forecasts
 
The European Centre for
Medium-Range Weather
Forecasts (ECMWF) announced
that a worldwide reduction in
aircraft flights due to the
pandemic could impact the
accuracy of weather forecasts,
citing commercial airlines' use of
Aircraft Meteorological Data
Relay (AMDAR) as an integral
contribution to weather forecast
accuracy. The ECMWF predicted
that AMDAR coverage would
decrease by 65% or more due to
the drop in commercial flights.
Seismic noise reduction
Seismologists have reported that
quarantine, lockdown, and other measures
to mitigate COVID-19 have resulted in a
mean global high-frequency seismic noise
reduction##### of 50%. This study reports
that the noise reduction resulted from a
combination of factors including reduced
traffic/transport, lower industrial activity,
and weaker economic activity. The
reduction in seismic noise was observed at
both remote seismic monitoring stations
and at borehole sensors installed several
hundred metres below the ground. The
study states that the reduced noise level
may allow for better monitoring and
detection of natural seismic sources, such
as earthquakes and volcanic activity.