COVID-19: Good for the Environment? By: Cassandra Van Drunen
Since the middle of March, the world as a whole has been experiencing the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), and others such as China for much longer. By April 17th, there were over 2.2 million cases, causing more than 150,000 deaths. Although COVID-19 has had devastating effects on the human population, many positive environmental effects have taken place globally. Since many countries have put up strict travel bans, the impact of cars and planes on pollution has been significantly mitigated. With millions of people under lockdown, positive global environmental effects have been seen. From clear water in the canals of Venice, to decreases in pollution in the world's major cities. New York City, one of America's largest cities, and one of COVID-19’s biggest hubs, has experienced a reduction in pollution by almost 50% in comparison to the 2019 statistics. On the other side of the planet, China’s emissions have been reduced by 25% since the beginning of 2020. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment in China has stated that the number of days with “good quality air” has increased by 11.4% in 337 cities throughout China, in comparison with the
data at the same time last year. In addition, reports in India’s New Delhi have shown that the average concentration levels of harmful microscopic particulate matter fell by over 71% in the span of a week. In Northern India, the Himalayas are no longer shadowed by air pollution for the first time in almost 30 years. The cartography image below by Steven Bernard from Descartes Labs shows the dramatic drop in nitrogen dioxide pollution in some of the world's major cities. The earth itself is not the only thing thriving during the pandemic. Many wild animals have also benefited from the worldwide lockdowns. With fewer humans roaming the streets, animals have been wandering outside of their normally constructed habitats. Wild boars have been walking the streets of Barcelona and Sika Deer from Japan’s Nara Park have been traveling to nearby cities. One of the animals benefiting the most from this pandemic appears to be Thailand’s sea turtles. Across the country, rare sea turtles have been coming to the now empty beaches at higher rates then seen in the past 20 years. Changes are even being seen in Canada. Marie-Eve Muller, a spokeswoman for a Research page 5
