Deadly link between

Covid-19 & Pollution

The deadly link between COVID-19 and air pollution
• The COVID-19 lockdown has led to cleaner air, but will do little to address the
issue of air pollution in the long run.
• People living with poor air quality may be more susceptible to this disease, and
airborne particulate matter may help to spread the virus.
• But world leaders now have a chance to plot a different, cleaner future.
• As the coronavirus pandemic impacts millions across the world and brings
economies to a grinding halt, there is a lot of talk about how emissions from
fossil fuel combustion have dropped radically in many countries. Yet this is no
solution to air pollution and climate change. For while eerily empty cities may be
bathed in blue skies, millions are suddenly out of work and wondering how they
are going to care for their families.
The poor and most vulnerable will suffer most from both the health impacts and
the economic crisis. Cleaner air for a few months may be a tiny silver lining to
COVID-19’s dark clouds, but will do little in the long run to solve the problem of
outdoor air pollution that kills more than four million people every year. For that
we need to kick our habit of burning coal, oil and gas.
• What’s more, people living in high-pollution cities are more likely to have
compromised respiratory, cardiac and other systems – and are therefore more
vulnerable to COVID-19’s impacts.
• One of the refrains all of us are hearing as the coronavirus spreads is to quit
smoking. But what about the 90% of people worldwide who are exposed to high
levels of air pollution? They can't choose to quit breathing the air where they live.
On every continent, people suffer the negative health impacts of air pollution.
Living in Delhi is comparable to smoking six cigarettes a day. The respiratory
systems of people in California and Australia have been compromised by air
pollution from climate-fuelled forest fires. The people of Wuhan have suffered
poor air quality for years, and just last summer took part in air pollution protests.
• During the SARS outbreak in China, a study by researchers at UCLA’s School of
Public Health showed that patients with SARS were more than twice as likely to
die from the disease if they came from areas of high pollution. The same seems
true of COVID-19: the more air pollution you are exposed to, the sicker you are
likely to get.
• And while it’s too early to prove a direct correlation between current high air
pollution levels and incidence of COVID-19, high pollution levels might also
increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the first place, as particulate matter
has the potential to act as carriers for contagion leading to rapid spread over
larger areas. A paper published by the Italian Society of Environmental
Medicine suggests that “the rapid increase of contagion rates that has affected
some areas of Northern Italy could be tied to atmospheric particulate pollution
acting as a carrier and booster there”. A Harvard study has just found the first
correlation between air pollution and COVID-19 deaths in the US.
• The response to this pandemic also threatens to make air pollution’s health
impacts worse in the longer-term. Several governments are moving under the
cover of COVID-19 to give industry a break and weaken clean air standards. In the
US, the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) is accelerating its radical
relaxation of regulation as the pandemic proliferates. In South Africa, air pollution
standards have been significantly weakened during lockdown and this will,
according to South Africa’s Life After Coal Coalition, cause an estimated 3,300
premature deaths. There will be particularly profound health impacts on children,
the elderly, pregnant women, and those already suffering from asthma, heart,
and lung disease.
• Some elected officials are taking a different tack. For instance, in Bogotá,
Colombia's capital city, facing a 'triple threat' of poor air quality, seasonal
respiratory illnesses and the pandemic, Mayor Claudia Lopez opened 76
kilometeres of new bike lanes to reduce crowding on public transport and help
prevent the spread of coronavirus while simultaneously improving air quality and
people’s health.
• As world leaders respond to the coronavirus, they have a chance to chart a
different course and make a major intervention for a healthy planet and healthy
people. With trillions of dollars in economic stimulus investments in the offing,
they have a golden opportunity to channel significant portions of those funds to
fast forward to a renewable energy economy. A transition to clean, renewable
energy and transport will seriously reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas
emissions and the impact of future pandemics.
• The coronavirus pandemic has made it clearer than ever that human and
planetary health are intimately interconnected. The choice is ours to act
accordingly.
 World Environment Day 2020: Positive Impact of
COVID-19 Lockdown on Environment

After the coronavirus lockdown commenced, there

have been slight changes in the environment.
Published: June 3, 2020 2:59 PM IST
Positive Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on
Environment
Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the air around us had been deemed
very toxic to breathe in due to the amount of greenhouse gases that had been
emitted over the centuries. The Earth faced rising temperatures, which in turn led
to the melting of glaciers and rising of sea levels. Environmental degradation was
happening fast due to the depletion of resources such as air, water and soil. But
after the coronavirus lockdown commenced, there have been slight changes in the
environment.
Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Environment:
• Air Quality:
After the lockdown was put in place in many countries, there was lesser travelling
done by people, whether it be by their own cars, or by trains and flights. Even
industries were closed down and not allowed to function. This in turn led to the
pollution in the air dropping significantly, as there was a marked decline in nitrous
oxide emission.
• Water Quality:
Since there were no boats, whether they be fishing or pleasure ones, plying on the
rivers and waterways, the water has cleared up. In areas like Venice, the water
became so clear that the fish could be seen and there was better water flow. No
doubt, because of the lesser human footfall even the oceans are recovering and
marine life is thriving.
• Effect on Wildlife:
Again where fish is concerned, the lockdown has seen a decline in fishing, which
means that the fish biomass will increase after over-fishing almost depleted it.
Apart from that, animals have been spotted moving about freely where once they
would not dare to go. Even sea turtles have been spotted returning to areas they
once avoided to lay their eggs, all due to the lack human interference.
• Effect on Vegetation:
Plants are growing better because there is cleaner air and water, and because yet
again there is no human interference. With everything at a standstill, plants are
allowed to thrive and grow and produce more coverage and oxygen. Less litter also
means lesser clogging of river systems, which is good in the long run for the
environment.
In conclusion, though there has been a positive impact on the environment due to
the lockdown, there is fear that once people start travelling again or go back to
doing what they have been doing, all the positive impact will also disappear.