How COVID-19 has Impacted the Planet

By Nikita Kheni

The world has seen significant impacts of COVID-19, with many of those impacts seen in the environment. As countries entered lockdowns and people cut down their travel beginning early March, carbon dioxide levels reduced dramatically in several regions around the world. Nothing had ever contributed to such low carbon dioxide levels as much as COVID-19.

Several posts and articles flooded social media earlier in the year about water turning clear in the canals of Venice and skies turning blue instead of smog-filled skies, claiming that nature and the environment were thriving since humans were staying indoors. A 17% worldwide drop was reported during the peak of lockdown measures. These drops in carbon emissions, however, vary around different regions of the world. Paris saw a 72% decrease in carbon emissions in March that are attributed to its early, strict, and country-wide lockdown, China saw a 25% decrease, and New York saw only a 10% decrease.

As cities start to reopen again, the impacts that the world has seen are already quickly being reversed as people start traveling and working, and countries open up several industries as demand for oil, coal, and electricity rises again. Countries were also rolling back on many environmental protections during lockdowns.

China’s carbon emission levels have risen again due to coal consumption and nitrogen dioxide pollution returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. The European Union has been pressured by countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic to suspend climate initiatives. The United States, the Environmental Protection Agency stated that if companies that did not comply with regulations, they would not be penalized if the non-compliance was attributed to the pandemic. Automobile fuel efficiency standards were also roll-backed in the United States in March. In Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest is undergoing accelerated deforestation after the federal environmental agency said it would not be enforcing regulations.

According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a new high for carbon emissions has already been recorded. Carbon dioxide levels had an average of slightly higher than 417 parts per million in May and are the highest monthly average value ever recorded.

The reductions in carbon emissions during this pandemic should encourage leaders to analyze the impacts of carbon emissions and implement policies to help reduce them. Countries should be analyzing more sustainable practices to continue reducing carbon emissions and made the world healthier to prevent another pandemic. When the planet is healthier, diseases are less likely to be so devastating. Corporations should take on greener economic recovery initiatives to prevent a substantial climate disruption, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in April. He also said there is “a profound opportunity” to steer the world on “a path that tackles climate change, protects the environment, reverses biodiversity loss and ensures the long-term health and security of humankind” in a post- COVID-19 world.

So many lives and livelihoods have been lost, and so many communities are suffering tremendous losses. “Visible, positive impacts – whether through improved air quality or reduced greenhouse gas emissions – are but temporary, because they come on the back of tragic economic slowdown and human distress,” according to Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme. It would be unacceptable to focus only on the positive impacts on privileged communities when healthcare systems are struggling to keep frontline workers secured with personal protective equipment, millions are unemployed, and children are dealing with attending online school and having limited social contact with friends and teachers necessary for their growth and education. It is not a time to celebrate, but a time to work harder than ever to focus on making the planet more sustainable.

Sustainable development and climate change mitigation are ultimately based on policy and global cooperation. COVID-19 has shown what can be achieved by remote work and education, and when governments stop reducing high carbon emission. However, the pandemic has also highlighted many disparities between communities that must be addressed before decisions are made on how to return to work after the pandemic and what communities need so they can have more positive impacts than negative ones. Focusing on long-term sustainability, structuring healthcare systems to be prepared for future outbreaks, and urging governments to introduce policies that address climate change is crucial to shaping a sustainable planet. Switching to clean and renewable energy, focusing on keeping carbon levels low, and eventually decarbonizing the economy will be some of the most important things governments can do to address the climate crisis.