How Covid-19 Changed our Environment

By Blanca Peto and Stephanie Tsui

The authors, Blanca Peto and Stephanie Tsui, wearing N95 masks.

There’s no doubt that 2020 was a monumental year for everyone. Because of the COVID-19 virus, millions of people around the world were left unemployed and their lives shifted dramatically. These changes significantly impacted our environment in multiple ways. On one hand, stay-at-home orders and social distancing mandates prevented many people from traveling to work or other places, thereby curtailing greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, consumers were pushed to online shopping and delivery services, creating new concerns about excess pollution. With all that has happened in the past year, it can be hard to stay up-to-date with everything that was published in the news and scientific journals. Thus, we decided to summarize what we know about how the pandemic affected our environment.

Global Changes in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

At the start of the pandemic, countries around the globe enacted strict lockdown measures that quelled the movement of people. The World Economic Forum reported nearly 3 billion people were under lockdown measures worldwide. While domestic and international traveling is now picking up again, initially there was a significant drop in flights and time spent commuting. Compared to the previous year, there were 50% fewer flights scheduled in April 2020 and less than 60% of those scheduled flights actually operated (US Bureau of Transportation Statistics). According to Somani et al. (2020), India’s lockdown measures stopped the largest number of people from traveling (about 1.35 billion people) in the world. Because of the reduction in fossil fuel consumption, fewer greenhouse gases were emitted. Thus, India observed drastic improvements in air and water quality once lockdown measures were lifted. Many European cities also saw a 30-60% decline in NO2 emissions during the lockdown period. The US also had a 25.5% drop in NO2 emissions (Rume and Islam 2020).

Yet by June, the number of domestic flights operating began to increase again. Likewise, during this year’s Thanksgiving week, 46.7 million more Americans travelled between 50 and 500 miles compared to 2019. This difference may reflect Americans’ preference for ground transportation instead of air during the pandemic (US Bureau of Transportation Statistics). Additionally, because of the steep decline in traveling across the globe, gas prices fell to levels that haven’t been observed in years. According to CNET, some parts of the US saw gas prices below $1! Thus, while lockdown measures led to a steep decline in greenhouse gas emissions, these short-term changes may not reflect COVID-19’s true long-term impacts.

Outside of transportation, the pandemic also cut fossil fuel consumption in the energy sector. Global oil and coal consumption fell during the lockdown period (Rume and Islam 2020). These changes are likely driven by differences in residential energy demand and shifts in energy consumption in the commercial realm. As explained by Goulding et al. (2020), with extended work-from-home orders, it is likely that commercial energy demand will continue to fall while residential energy consumption will increase only slightly.

On the contrary, many consumers transitioned to online shopping because of COVID-19. Since in-store retail spaces may not be as valuable, there is a greater demand for large warehouse spaces. Surprisingly, these warehouses, on average, use 5 times less energy per square feet than a single retail store in the US. So, declines in

retail space will more than offset the increased energy demand by households working from home (Goulding et al. 2020). However, even if warehouse spaces require less energy than normal retail stores, we must consider the long-term consequences of increased interest in delivery and subscription services. More people are opting to get groceries and other products delivered, even if they can find them themselves within a 10-minute drive. This issue is very complex, and more time is needed before proper data can be analyzed and reported.

But concrete data isn’t needed to prove that the pandemic has created a lot more plastic waste. It isn’t difficult to spot a discarded mask in a parking lot or pick up a bag full of plastic and Styrofoam takeout containers with dinner these days. With more plastic packaging, comes greater fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, greenhouse gas emissions dropped around the world. Yet this short-term change was not enough to match the reduction needed to prevent a global temperature increase of 1.5°C. The pandemic’s long-term impacts are still to be realized.

A pile of cardboard boxes ready to be recycled. Photo by @michaeljinphoto on unsplash.

Pollution Concerns

One of the most striking impacts of COVID-19 was the exponential increase in demand, use, and disposal of plastic products. With restrictions set in place for dining, grocery shopping and overall in-store shopping, individuals have relied more heavily on single-use plastics. Grocery stores have limited the use of personal shopping bags and restaurants rely on plastic takeout containers for their customers to use. Prior to COVID-19, many stores had limited plastic bag use in support of the anti-plastic movement. However, due to concerns about virus transmission, plastic bags have become the safest way to transport goods. It is estimated that since the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 500 million plastic bags have been used by consumers in California alone (McCormick 2020). Until the outbreak becomes manageable, plastic usage is expected to increase.

Additionally, the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as gloves and masks, skyrocketed. To protect from viral infection, people increased their use of single-use gloves, masks and other safety equipment, which are predominantly made from plastic. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in late December of 2019, 89 million masks have been manufactured monthly across the globe, together with 76 million single-use gloves and 1.6 million sets of goggles for healthcare use (Rume and Islam 2020). Although these PPE equipment are necessary for each individual’s health, they are a significant source of plastic pollution. Moreover, single-use face masks are made from synthetic polymers, such as polypropylene and polyurethane, which are very difficult to break down. Medical face shields can also persist for a long time in landfills and release dioxin, a toxic element in the environment (Fadare and Okoffo, 2020).

Furthermore, scientists identified PPE as a significant source of microplastic particle pollution because of how these materials degrade. As masks and gloves degrade in the environment, they eventually break down into particles under 5-mm, known as microplastics. This problem is exacerbated by the improper disposal of used products: individuals throw away PPE as regular waste in their homes or in public locations. Improper disposal in public waste bins allows masks and other waste to easily transfer to waterways and eventually make their way to oceans, where they degrade and release microplastics in the ocean (Fadare and Okoffo, 2020).

In addition to plastic pollution, COVID-19 changed global air and water quality. Air pollution across the globe decreased due to lockdown measures (Rume and Islam 2020). In particular, Los Angeles, CA saw its longest streak of clean air on record—the amount of particulate matter in the air declined by 31% compared to 2019 data and dropped by 51% compared to a 4-year average (iQAir.com, 2020). This incredible change in air quality reveals the importance of human activities on the environment. On the other hand, while overall outdoor air quality improved because of reduced vehicular and industrial emissions, the average indoor air quality may be compromised by the increased usage of cleaning products. Compounds in cleaning products, such as quaternary ammonium and sodium hypochlorite, are associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and can contribute to poor indoor air quality that can aggravate asthma (Fair, 2020). Although outdoor air quality has significantly improved as a result of COVID-19, indoor air quality in homes and workplaces may have declined.

Likewise, lockdown measures significantly altered water quality around the world. At the start of the pandemic, major industrial pollution dipped or came to a halt. In India, scientists recorded significant levels of cleanliness in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers because of the lack of industrial pollution and public visitors. In Italy, the lack of public gatherings cleared up the Grand Canal to the point where many aquatic species returned (Rume and Islam 2020). Additionally, decreases in solid waste from industries and the public curtailed water pollution problems. However, the increased use of disinfectants and cleaning products on roads to exterminate the COVID-19 virus may harm local species. Disinfectants could kill non-targeted beneficial species and runoff into waterways and threaten aquatic life. In short, overall water quality improved during the pandemic, but the long-term effects of pollution from cleaning products are still to be discovered.

A discarded single-use face mask found on a beach in New Hampshire. Photo by @brian_yuri on unsplash.

Conclusion

COVID-19 was the defining feature of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic affected nearly all human life across the globe. It demonstrated the need for adequate healthcare for all individuals, the influence of politicians and corporations regarding product distribution and policies, and how sudden shifts in our livelihoods impact the environment. Ultimately, COVID-19 revealed how easily we can create short- and long-term changes to the environment. As we continue to alter natural systems via deforestation and habitat destruction, we will open more doors for human-wildlife interactions, which can lead to more diseases transferring between species. Pandemics like COVID-19 will continue to occur unless there is a significant shift in our approach to environmental regulation and restoration. COVID-19 is a warning of the fate of the human race and the environment if we continue to follow our current course.

You learn more about Stephanie and follow her journey at her website stephanietsui.wordpress.com or at @svtephanie on Twitter!

Sources:
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/gas-prices-average-drop-kentucky-station-us/
https://www.bts.gov/covid-19
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/high-noon-lockdown-around-the-world/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/09/covid-19-plastic-bans-california-new-york
https://www.eea.europa.eu/post-corona-planet/covid-19-and-europes-environment https://www.iqair.com/us/blog/press-releases/report-impact-of-covid-19-on-air-quality-in-10-major-cities
https://www.wemu.org/post/issues-environment-chemical-impacts-fighting-spread-covid-19

Fadare, O. and Okoffo, E. (2020) COVID-19 face masks: a potential source of microplastic fibers in the environment. Sci Total Environ. 737: 140279

Goulding, A. J. et al. (2020). Potential implications of the COVID-19 crisis on long-term electricity demand in the United States. Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy.

Rume, T. and Islam, S. M. D-U. (2020). Environmental effects of COVID-19 pandemic and potential strategies of sustainability. Heliyon 6(9): e04965.

Somani, M. et al. (2020). Indirect implications of COVID-19 towards sustainable environment: An investigation in Indian context. Bioresource Technology Reports 11: 100491.