Lockdown: nature bounces back
How has the environment fared in the midst of this global pandemic?
How the environment has fared in the coronavirus pandemic
It’s been several months since countries around the world began closing their borders, grounding air travel and quarantining their residents. It’s been an unprecedented time filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future, but could there be a positive environmental effect for a world with people self-isolating?
On average, global emissions of one of the most damaging gases to our environment, carbon dioxide, reach over 36 billion tonnes each year – a figure that has soared from the 2 billion tonnes recorded back in 1900. As a result global temperatures have increased, ice sheets have melted and the world’s climate has changed. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels for energy production and increased pollution from travel have been at the forefront of climatic change.
That was, of course, before COVID-19. To prevent this persistent virus from hopping from one host to another, people have been instructed to stay at home. In an attempt to stop the rising number of new cases, the way we once lived has also fallen to the wayside, in turn stifling globally damaging emissions.
One of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis is the industrial and domestic production of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, which have been increasing at the rate of around one per cent each year. By its very nature carbon dioxide increases what is known as the greenhouse effect, whereby thermal energy is trapped in the atmosphere and heats up the world below.
In April of this year daily global emissions of carbon dioxide fell by 17 per cent when compared to the same time in 2019. These levels were last seen in 2006. Another harmful gas that makes its way into the atmosphere is nitrogen dioxide. This reddish-brown coloured gas has been found to have a more direct effect on human health.
Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide can cause damage to our respiratory systems, and long-term exposure can lead to chronic lung disease. Around 80 per cent of nitrogen dioxide emissions come from motor vehicle exhausts, and since the number of people on the roads has dropped dramatically during lockdown, satellite imagery has shown that clouds of nitrogen dioxide that were hanging around cities have begun to dissipate.
Our emissions aren’t the only thing fading away – environmental noise has also taken a hit. Much more than the blaring music from the world’s nightclubs, noise produced from industrial activities can have a negative effect on wild ecosystems.
However, it’s not all been good news for the environment. Since we’ve all been stuck inside, household waste production has soared. Spending more than ever on online shopping for food, clothes and other goods has led to an increase in inorganic and non-biodegradable plastics entering our bins and making their way to landfill. The same can be said for the increased medical waste produced in hospitals.
A recent study found that during the height of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, hospitals produced an average of 240 tonnes of medical waste per day, compared to the typical average of under 50 tonnes. The same study also found that although waste production was on the rise, in countries such as the United States, waste recycling numbers had fallen due to the closure of recycling programs in response to the risk of COVID-19 spreading throughout their centres.
It remains unclear as to what effects global lockdowns may have in terms of climate change. Will reduced emissions continue? Will this unusual period in human history act as an experiment, revealing the possibilities of reduced consumption and restricted travel? Or will this brief breathing space for mother nature once again get choked in greenhouse gases upon our social freedom? As restrictions begin to lift around the world, only time will tell.