Effect of COVID-19 on the Environment

The pandemic significantly changed every aspect of the world. Likewise, it brought about several effects on the environment and climate. There is a striking improvement in air quality due to restriction of movement and somewhat a similar improvement in water quality due to the slowdown of social and economic activities. On the other hand, the improper disposal of disposable face masks, gloves, PPE kits, and other medical wastes harmed the environment.

Positive Effects on the Environment

Reduction of Air pollution

Aviation, industrial effluents, and vehicular emissions are key contributors of air pollution.

Aviation is regarded as the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. At the beginning of the pandemic, most of the countries imposed a ban on international travel. Even after the restrictions were relaxed, it was reported that there was a drop of around 90% on air travel. For this reason, many flights were canceled by commercial aviation companies. These circumstances led to an outstanding decrease in air pollution.

Also, the inter-city travel rates slumped due to the spread of the pandemic, lockdowns, and other restrictions. As a result, many transportation companies were closed down. Consequently, the consumption of fossil fuels plummeted. This led to an overall decrease in the emission of greenhouse gasses. This aided in combating global climate change.

Additionally, many industries were forced to close down due to the plight of the pandemic. Shutting down these industries contributed to an improvement in the air quality.

Overall, the pandemic appreciably aided the reduction of air pollution and the control of global climate change.

Reduction of water pollution

As the atmosphere and the ocean are closely related, improvement in the air quality leads to an improvement in the water quality. Oxides of nitrogen and sulphur react with oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere and cause acid rain. Due to the shut down of industries, there has been a reduction in the concentration of these gases in the air, thereby reducing acid rains and improving the water quality.

Apart from that, the shut down of industries abated the amount of water pollution. Many industries dump their untreated wastes into water bodies, severely polluting them. From the beginning of the pandemic, major industrial pollution sources shrunk or completely stopped, which helped reduce the water pollution load.

Negative effects on the environment

Improper management of biomedical wastes

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been an upsurge in the production of medical waste around the globe. From collecting test samples to treating the patients, loads of infectious and harmful biomedical wastes are being produced every day. Many of the local waste management authorities find it challenging to handle such huge amounts of harmful waste. Improper management of such wastes poses a great threat to the environment and risks further spread of infection.

Disposal of safety equipment

People from all parts of the world are using face masks, hand gloves, and PPE kits to protect themselves from the virus. Due to a lack of knowledge about waste management and no other means of disposal for common people, this waste is being dumped along with household waste. It has also been reported that many people dump used safety equipment in open places. Such practices have led to many environmental problems such as clogging of water and excessive release of microplastics and other toxic elements into the environment.

Excessive use of disinfectants

Lately, enormous amounts of disinfectants are being sprayed on roads, public spaces, and residential spaces. The extensive use of disinfectants kills a lot of beneficial species of flora along with the virus and causes ecological imbalance. Moreover, the disinfectants may make their way through neighboring water channels and mix with nearby lakes and rivers, polluting the water and harming aquatic life. Thus, it is essential to come up with more environment-friendly disinfection processes.

Conclusion

The pandemic has undeniably given nature some time to heal and recreate itself. The positive and the negative impact are closely competing with each other but overall there has been some improvement in the quality of the environment. It may take more time to truly estimate how COVID-19 has impacted the environment. Yet, for now, the positive changes give nature hope for a better future.