Coronavirus: Is It Correcting The Balance In Nature?
With a drop in pollution and a decrease in emissions, is the current Coronavirus pandemic correcting the balance in nature?
“The time has now come for us all to do more. You must stay at home.”
These were the words of prime minister Boris Johnson telling us all to isolate and wash your hands. A man who would later contract the virus himself.
With coronavirus cases rising, it is biggest threat this country has faced for decades as we all worry about the strain on our NHS, our physical wellbeing and our mental states.
And now we all face a long period of isolation as the total number of people who have tested positive in the UK has nearly reached 100,000.
Yet, with reduced cars on the roads, fewer flights and decreased factory production, could the improvement in the environment potentially save more lives than Covid-19 will take?
What Measures Have Been Taken?
As governments have advised against all but essential travel to prevent the spread of the disease, there has been a significant reduction in the use of vehicles. Not only have there been less cars on the roads, there has also been a reduction in the scheduling of public transport.
Many airlines around the world have also been cancelling, suspending or rescheduling flights. This is in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus around the globe as much as possible as certain countries close their borders to people entering.
Factories across the world have also been shutting down as social distancing comes in to fight against Covid-19.
How Is It Helping The Environment?
Worldwide Drop In Pollutants
As nitrogen dioxide is produced from car engines, power plants and factories, there has been a significant drop in the pollutant since restrictions came into force.
New York, has shown incredible reductions in harmful emissions as researchers noted a near 50% reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from cars in comparison to last year.
China, where the virus originally broke out, also has witnessed reduced pollution as seen in the satellite data image below.
Image Source/TheGuardian
Venice Canals See Wildlife Return
With cruise ships no longer docking in the Italian city and the streets empty of tourists, the Venice canals have seen a notable improvement.
With clearer water, the fish are visible and wildlife has returned.
😳 😳 😳 #venice
An unexpected side effect of the pandemic: 💧Water’s flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever.
🐟 🦢 The fish are visible, the swans returned pic.twitter.com/crWf4kdZ1M— Aurel Boriçi (@AurelBoriciBT) March 18, 2020
Image source/Twitter
Dolphins have even been spotted swimming along the city.
Himilayas Visible From India For First Time In Decades
Indian residents have claimed that they can now see the peaks of the Himilayas for the first time in 30 years after a huge drop in air pollution.
Himalaya mountains can be seen from Jalandhar since pollution has reduced in Punjab. Beautiful sight 😍#punjab #COVID19 #pollution pic.twitter.com/iZy7hwxX9R
— TjSingh (@covsinghtj) April 3, 2020
Image Source/Twitter
In Delhi, air quality index (AQI) levels are usually about 200. The World Health Organisation (WHO) usually deem anything above 25 to be unsafe.
Now, with 11m cars off the road and factories at a standstill, there has been blue skies and the lowest levels of pollution for three decades!
Image Source/The Guardian
Could The Environmental Improvement Save More Lives Than Coronavirus Covid-19 Will Take?
Some scientists have suggested that the number of early deaths avoided due to cleaner air might outnumber the deaths from coronavirus.
It is difficult to judge as the impact of coronavirus is much quicker than that of air pollution. Plus, older people are the most at risk from both.
However, with levels of nitrogen dioxide exceeding legal limits in most urban areas, pollution causes an estimated 110 premature deaths every day.
Pollutants particularly exacerbate health conditions such as asthma. Therefore, the significant reduction of pollutants will surely improve the quality of those living with respiratory illnesses.
What We Need To Learn From This
Could Working From Home A Day A Week Help The Environment?
One of the things that the current pandemic has demonstrated is that we can achieve a lot by travelling less.
It tells us that if we did work from home more – when business resumes – we could see a significant drop in pollution.
With businesses adapting to accommodate employees working from home, could we see an increase in those choosing to work from home or could it even be enforced?
There are no silver linings to such a harsh and indiscriminate disease. Yet the benefits to the environment due to the measures taken are evident.
Mother nature is finally getting a breath of fresh air.