The global COVID19 pandemic hit the world unexpectedly leading to countries going in lockdown which involved a quarantine period of 21 days or more, people were expected to stay indoors and only go outside for medical attention or essentials. The lockdown period led to industrial activities and other sectors shut down. All modes of transport were forced to a standstill because people were not allowed to travel. The standstill in the transport sector led to a decline in global oil demand which caused prices to be cut down abruptly, all this resulted in less energy consumption as well as decreased demand for oil.
COVID-19 has had a severe negative impact on human health and the world economy, however, it has also resulted in the reduction of pollution due to limited social and economic activities (Dutheil et al., 2020).
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency) released evidence that suggests that environmental quality improved and the emission of NO2 reduced up to 30% during the global lockdown. NASA collects the data using OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instruments) on its AURA satellite. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) states that economic activity has been limited during COVID-19 which results in a decline in CO2 emission.
Arora et al. (2020) conducted a study on how COVID19 lockdown helped the environment bounce back, the author’s focus was on India where they collected data on air quality using the air quality index which is an assessment tool used to assess air quality which shows how the air has improved before lockdown and after lockdown. The image below shows the comparisons that were conducted in India. The image shows a major decrease in pollutants after lockdown.
The image below shows the air quality analysis conducted before and after a lockdown in India
The United States of America as part of the goal to reduce GHG emissions by 2030 adopted “clean cars” which involve the use of low emission vehicles and zero-emission vehicles which tailors for clean car standards involving mostly the use of electric cars to lower emissions. The UK government intends to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to lower emissions produced by cars.
The image above shows the best case scenario which shows how much fuel cars emit CO2 compared to electric cars.
Sarmadi et al. (2021) mentioned that even though the COVID-19 pandemic had irreversible negative effects on human societies, it has been able to improve the air quality of most areas with executive restrictions in different countries. It is unfortunate that changes in 2021 have been reversed due to the reduction of some countries’ lockdown restrictions.
Aligning COVID19 recovery measures with long-term objectives for reducing GHG emissions is the goal. The application of strict laws related to COVID-19 restrictions can demonstrate the decision-making power of countries in reducing pollution and GHG in non-crisis situations.
References
Arora, S., Bhaukhandi, K. D. & Mishra, P. K. 2020. Coronavirus lockdown helped the environment to bounce back. Science of the Total Environment, 140573.
Dutheil, F., Baker, J.S., Navel, V., 2020. COVID-19 as a factor influencing air pollution? Environ. Pollut. 263 (Pt A).
Sarmadi, M., Rahimi, S., Rezaei, M., Sanaei, D. & Dianatinasab, M. 2021. Air quality index variation before and after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive study on 87 capital, industrial and polluted cities of the world. Environmental Sciences Europe.
OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Building back better: A sustainable, resilient recovery after COVID-19. 5 June 2020
Climate group 2020. https://www.theclimategroup.org/our-work/publications/building-back-greener-how-states-and-regions-are-building-more-sustainable
Transport Environment. https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/does-electric-vehicle-emit-less-petrol-or-diesel/
https://www.rpc.co.uk/perspectives/trainees-take-on-business/build-back-greener/