Garachico, Nica Angela M.

BPA-PFMOUMN 1-1

ACTIVITY 2: “Effects of the recent lockdowns to the environment”

"I wish things were back to normal," is a popular phrase in the last 2020. Stay-
at-home orders imposed in approximately 215 countries to control the spread of
COVID-19 have put people's physical and mental health at risk. Isolation and drastic
change have left people longing to return to their pre-virus lives - but what was our
normal? Over the last 50 years, a 2% increase in global temperature has been
considered "normal" (National Climate Assessment 2014). Climate change will result
from this rise, causing sea levels to rise, resulting in extreme hurricanes, floods, and
other natural disasters that will destroy homes and businesses. Rising temperatures
will cause droughts, making water scarce and farming difficult.
There appeared to be positive environmental effects at the start of the global
pandemic. With less to no people outside, china’s air pollution improved, rivers in
Italy cleared up, and there was a reduction in carbon emissions around the world
(Kumari & Toshniwal, 2020). There was a decline in greenhouse gas emission,
outdoor air pollution, environmental noise level, and land and wildlife pressure
(Patrício Silva et al., 2021). Showing us that our normal lives are the main
contributors to the crisis of climate change. Still, while outside air pollution was going
down, other pollutants began causing harm to the environment (Patrício Silva et al.,
2021).
One of the main pollutants caused by COVID-19 is the extreme increase in
personal protection equipment (masks, gloves, face shields, etc.). The increase in
large is due to the products being used by first responders and everyday people with
no slowing in sight. For example, to provide citizens worldwide with the necessary
amount of personal protection equipment (PPE) we would need roughly 129 billion
face masks and 65 billion gloves monthly (Patrício Silva et al., 2021). Most PPE is
also made up of nonwoven synthetic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene
(PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) –all of which contain plastic (Patrício
Silva et al., 2021). Such plastics can take hundreds to thousands of years to
decompose, in the meantime, the plastics break up into smaller and smaller pieces
called microplastics (National Climate Assessment 2014).
The recommendation is critical for the medical industry, but the increased use
of personal protective equipment (PPE) was quickly followed by an increase in other
single-use plastics that degrade into microplastics. Metal straws, canvas bags, and
bamboo silverware are examples of reusable products that can be used to replace
single-use items in public places. However, with COVID-19, the fear of
contamination has increased the number of institutions refusing to use reusable
materials that could potentially spread COVID-19, including restaurants, markets,
schools, and offices. In the long run, a halt in recycling could jeopardize global
sustainability.
 Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted attention away from the crisis
of climate change. Government agencies, the scientific community, and the general
public have been paying less and less attention due to public safety concerns.
Because of the spread of COVID-19, businesses, public institutions, governments,
and individuals have put new and ongoing climate change mitigation strategies on
hold.
Furthermore, it has slowed businesses' transition to more environmentally
friendly business practices. Businesses are increasing their use of single-use
products not only for safety reasons, but also due to the uncertainty of COVID-19
effects (WHO, 2020). Face-to-face restrictions, concerns about public safety, and an
increase in job losses have resulted in less global shopping. As fewer people travel,
shop, go to work, school, or visit friends, the economy has seen an increase in job
losses, furloughs, and business closures.
The virus-caused displacement is only a preview of what could happen if the
climate crisis persists. Climate change-related natural disasters, droughts, and
resource scarcity will force millions of people to relocate in order to survive the
effects of climate change (NASA, 2020).
Extreme natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and so on)
are expected to destroy more businesses, homes, and schools as climate change
worsens, or force people to relocate due to a lack of resources (NASA, 2020). If the
climate crisis is not resolved, stay-at-home orders, which were used to protect public
health during the COVID-19 crisis, could be reinstated, but this time to protect us
from pollution in the air caused by us, such as greenhouse gases. While COVID-19
is a pressing issue, if we do not reduce our global environmental impact and repair
the damage that has already been done, the economy may suffer a similar or even
worse drop (Kumari & Toshniwal, 2020).
Although not all is bad, the similarities between COVID-19 and the climate
crisis allow us to turn COVID-19's tragedy into a blueprint for climate change
preparation. For one thing, the crisis has taught us that we must create change
rather than wait for it. People reinvented working, learning, and living from the same
distance during the COVID-19 crisis. Similarly, we will need to change the way we
work, learn, and live in order to mitigate the climate crisis. To repair the damage
done over the last 50 years, we must be innovative and adaptable, as we were
during the COVID-19 crisis.
Navigating the COVID-19 has also taught us that in times of crisis, unity is
more important than speed. The climate crisis is urgent, but without unity, effective
solutions will be difficult to achieve. We will need to be as united as we were at times
during COVID-19 to solve a major crisis like climate change. Strategies that consider
intersectionality (the links between disasters, health, equity, racial disparities, and
community investment) and prioritize human and environmental rights can help to
create long-term solutions (Ramirez, 2020). Solutions that make cities more resilient
and equitable, ultimately leading to a future that solves the climate change crisis.
Works Cited
• Benfer, E., Gilman, S., Edmonds, L., Butler, S., & Robinson, D. (2020,
September 16). The COVID-19 Eviction Crisis: An Estimated 30-40 Million
People in America Are at Risk. Retrieved December 19, 2020, from
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-covid19-eviction-crisis-an-
estimated-30-40-million-people-in-america-are-at-risk/).
• Kumari, P., & Toshniwal, D. (2020, October 16). Impact of lockdown on air
quality over major cities across the globe during COVID-19 pandemic.
Retrieved December 19, 2020, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212095520304387
• NASA (2020, August 21). The Effects of Climate Change. Retrieved
December 19, 2020, from https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
• National Climate Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2020, from
https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/
• Patrício Silva, A., Prata, J., Walker, T., Duarte, A., Ouyang, W., Barcelò, D., &
Rocha-Santos, T. (2021, February 1). Increased plastic pollution due to
COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and recommendations. Retrieved
December 19, 2020, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7430241/
• Ramirez, M. (2020, September 25). Research: Displacement in the Face of
Climate Change. Retrieved December 19, 2020, from
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/marissaramirez/research-displacement-face-
climate-change
• WHO. WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard. Retrieved
December 19, 2020, from https://covid19.who.int/