What impact will COVID’19 have on the environment?

COVID-19 has affected our daily lives in an unprecedented range of ways, from physical distancing to travel bans. But the pandemic is also influencing our planet.  Air pollution levels have dropped significantly since measures such as quarantines and shutdowns were put in place to contain COVID-19. Around the world, levels of harmful pollutants like NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), CO (carbon monoxide), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), and PM2.5 (small particulate matter) have plummeted at least, while shutdowns continue.   Environmental benefits will only be temporary unless we implement long-term measures to cut emissions.  It’s a stark reminder that air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions, is a global threat that can’t be forgotten, even in these challenging times.  Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have fallen across continents as countries try to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. Is this just a fleeting change, or could it lead to longer-lasting falls in emissions?  In a matter of months, the world has been transformed. Thousands of people have already died, and hundreds of thousands more have fallen ill, from coronavirus that was previously unknown before appearing in the city of Wuhan in December 2019. For millions of others who have not caught the disease, their entire way of life has changed by it.  

We will continue focusing on Covid-19: The history of pandemics and accept Why social distancing might last for some time.  A global pandemic that is claiming people’s lives certainly shouldn’t be seen as a way of bringing about environmental change either. For one thing, 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 clear-skied interlude never happened? Or could the changes we see today have a more persistent effect?  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.  Historic epidemics – This is not the first time an epidemic has left its mark on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Throughout history, the spread of the disease has been linked to lower emissions, even well before the industrial age.  Global air pollution drops dramatically – The novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 illness was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  By January 2020, Chinese authorities had shut down local businesses and implemented transport restrictions. Satellites monitoring pollution for NASA and the European Space Agency have since detected a marked decrease in airborne NO2 after the shutdowns.

We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to act in defense of environmental care and protection. Climate change and 21st C environmental justice are some of the world’s most complex problems. To effectively respond to these challenges, global citizens must be appropriately educated and prepared. For Earth Day, we shall engage the community to lead the promotion of Environmental and Climate Literacy.  Now more than ever in recent history, global citizens, are hungry to engage in public policy. It is up to all of us to use this unprecedented opportunity to build the change we need through our Environmental and Climate Literacy Education which is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet, empowering everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.

Climate change is a much-anticipated phenomenon that has earned “global attention” status. Its cyclical pattern ‘crept’ upon society and gained momentum that suddenly has many governments debating, projecting, tracking, and strategizing in an effort to slow its ‘movement’. This marked the end of preceding epochal changes in a climate when the cycles of cooling and warming unfolded slowly. Today, the factors responsible for this sudden velocity in climate change ‘stand’ within close proximity yet seems untouchable/unstoppable. At AGL we offer education through sharing and seeking discussions on the various mitigating strategies to make attempts of arriving at the ‘best’ possible solution. Sustainable Development (Environmental, Economic, and Social well-being for today and tomorrow). Sustainable Development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s a process that envisions a desirable future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource use continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity, stability, and beauty of natural biotic systems.