COVID-19 has Surprise Influence on Environment

By Curtis O’Donnell
JRN 100 News Reporter 

 

The world can breathe easier thanks to the limited number of cars on the road because of the pandemic lockdown.

A recent study by researcher Tanjen Rume found that COVID-19 stopped industries, transportation, and companies from functioning, which caused a sudden drop in emissions of greenhouse g
ases, also known Rume's study, called Environmental Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic and Potential Sustainability Strategies.

Global coal consumption also saw significant declines, the study found.  Pollution lessened as fewer planes have been flying. According to Rume, motor vehicles, including aircraft, largely contribute to greenhouse gas rising levels.

Attorney Nick Vaz, an environmental science lawyer from Berkley, has worked in the field for seven years.

"A lot of policies have changed to encourage the development of green energy. With the focus of changing coal to natural gas. This can be seen vividly in Pennsylvania, which has fracking issues but is moving towards using natural gas and solar energy," said Vaz.

Entrepreneurs have used the lockdown to be innovative and work to keep the environment progressing in the right direction, Vaz said.

For example, MedRecycler, an environmental organization, is working on a leading-edge processing facility to turn waste into renewable energy. This waste would include medical needles and equipment, which are hazardous and could sit in landfills for decades.

"MedReclyer almost sounds too good to be true. It is hard to believe that you can take something hazardous and dangerous like used needles, destroy and burn off the gas and then store the energy to use later," said Vaz.

Greenhouse gases are not the only statistic reduced. The pandemic also had an impact on the emission of nitrogen dioxide. In China, nearly a 50% reduction of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide occurred due to the shutdown of heavy factory and industry use. Nitrogen oxide is a crucial indicator of global economic activities and is a significant base mark for most countries, Rume's study showed.

Nitrogen oxide is important, because it is a key factor in harming the air in the environment and can cause acid rain and several respiratory diseases. It emits from burning fossil fuels, 80% of which comes from motor vehicle exhaust, based on Rume’s study. The benefits are seen mainly in big cities due to the heavy population and reliance on transportation use.

Reduction in air pollution across major cities has not been the only benefit from global lockdown. There are also benefits seen through lower water and noise pollution.

Cities like Los Angeles can rest quietly during the night without worry from vehicle noises and sirens screeching through the night, and some large water sources have turned clear like the Great Valley Canal in Italy.

A World Health Organization report indicates that almost 8% of total deaths in the world is due to air pollution. The study, Coronavirus Lockdown Helped the Environment to Bounce Back, which was researched by Shefali Arora, affirmed the comparison.

These diseases are often respiratory and include hypertension, heart attack, cognitive and mental illness. All the diseases mentioned are caused by air pollution, Arora's study said.

In current times of COVID-19, the focus is on the rising cases and death rates, but air pollution is also responsible for many deaths. Arora's study states that COVID-19 has gathered more attention for fatalities caused by the virus over pollution because the virus is occurring much quicker, and the death rates are more noticeable. Air pollution causes deaths over time bringing less attention to the public, Arora's study stated.

Another environmental study, Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as Observed from Space by Sophie Bates, found that many of the changes made to the environment will not last if people revert to pre-pandemic ways. Bates's study warns that environmental changes such as air quality, water quality, and snowfall melting will return to harmful levels if these trends continue.

Phil Toussaint is an environmental entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Ecopreneur in Stoughton Massachusetts. His business focus is on brand strategizing, educating, and getting more people to volunteer in helping the environment.

 “The environmental landscape has hit an unprecedented era of awareness and inevitable reform.  In the light of the pandemic, issues that were obscured by the everyday lives of people were now exposed and brought to the forefront,” said Toussaint.

Although some worry that the rollbacks will be short-lived, others carry hope.

“The pandemic caused for a lot of unrest and calls for action within the environmental community. In many ways, this has been good for the environment because society has realized the amount of impact we had and continue to have on our natural world,” said Toussaint.