What Does COVID-19 Tell Us About Climate Change?

The Global Pandemic of 2020: What Does COVID-19 Tell Us About Climate Change?

By: Xiyuan Chen

It was March, 2020, in Italy. The city of Venice was empty. The police were patrolling the streets, when they were surprised by the visible fish in canals that were usually murky. In April, in England, deer lie cozily on lawns in east London as streets are deserted. Meanwhile, in India, people can see the Himalayas for the first time in decades due to reduction in air pollution. These changes took place as countries around the world began to lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Originating in Wuhan, China, the sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus continues to take lives around the world. It was officially named “COVID-19” by the World Health Organization, and is said to be transmitted from bats to humans. When sick with the virus, people experience cough, fever, difficulty breathing, pneumonia in both lungs and, in severe cases, death. Thus, countries around the world have introduced extreme measures to stop the spread of the virus, especially considering the infectious nature of COVID-19. As much as it is a disaster to the human world, nature seems to be benefiting from this crisis. In this article, I look at the “silver-lining” of the pandemic: what can we learn about climate change from the outbreak of COVID-19? Zoonotic diseases are not unknown to human beings. From the 14th century plague that killed half of the population in Europe, to the Spanish Flu in 1918, to AIDS, Sars, Ebola, Zika, Mers, to COVID-19, which is still taking lives globally. However, the occurrence of these pathogenic diseases are more frequent than fevers. Scientists suggest that one of the main reasons behind this is human activities. As global populations keep growing, people need larger spaces to live. Human activities have reshaped almost 75% of the earth's surface, cramming wildlife and nature into an “ever-smaller corner” of the planet, according to the UN Environment Chief. Thus, contact between humans and reservoir hosts increase, mostly because of rapid urbanization and growing animal markets. There were 100 million hectares of agricultural expansion in the tropics between 1980 and 2000. Major landscape changes are causing animals to lose habitats, which leads to species becoming crowded together and coming into greater contact with humans. Similarly, the origin of COVID-19 is also traced back to a “wet market” in Wuhan, where someone potentially had a bat that carried the virus. Rapid urbanization had led to more human activities, which would result in an increase in greenhouse gas-induced warming, desertification, deforestation and loss in biodiversity. With less green and more skyscrapers, wildlife is forced into living with humans. Therefore, climate change and global warming caused by human activities are most likely to be accountable for incidents of recent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. As countries shut down industrial activities and airline flights, people stop using both public and private transportation and air pollution plummets in cities. In China, for instance, the drop in airborne pollutants over two months may have saved the lives of 4,000 children below 5 and 73,000 adults above 70. Compared with 2019, CO2 emissions went down while China’s industrial output decreased by 13.5 percent in January and February 2020. This is the weakest reading since January 1990. The shocking image published by NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) pollution monitoring satellites have also indicated significant decreases in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over China. Since nitrogen dioxide is a noxious gas emitted by motor vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities, NASA and ES believe that the reduction in NO2 pollution is closely related to the lockdowns in the country. This reduction first appeared in Wuhan, but spread across the country as millions of people page 8

have been quarantined. Later in Europe, when the virus was spreading across the globe, satellite images show NO2 emissions decreased over northern Italy as well as in Spain and the UK. Although the outbreak of COVID-19 was a tragedy, it shows us what a greener planet might look like. Reflecting on how and why it happened, people might see the crisis as both an admonition to our current status and an illustration of what a cleaner future could look like. This is the perfect time for us to do something about the environment, and to acknowledge that climate change is threatening the well-being of wildlife and human beings on earth.

There is evidence that the world is taking climate change more seriously because of the novel coronavirus. While the biggest conference in 10 years on biodiversity has been postponed due to COVID-19, this did not prevent the

UN biodiversity chief from calling for a ban on wildlife markets. Unable to perform mass demonstrations, young people are mobilizing online under the hashtags “#ClimateStrikeOnline” and

“#Digital Strike,” posting pictures of climate strikes while staying at home.

That being said, some worry that this change is only temporary. Inger Andersen, head of the UN environment program, calls for a “profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both the people and the planet.” He mentioned, during an interview, that a call for an increase in the production of medical supplies during the pandemic could also lead to a surge in hazardous waste produced, including the mass production of facemasks, plastic bags and one-time disposable gloves. To sustain the positive impacts, fossil fuel use would have to decline about 10% around the world, and would need to be maintained for a year to illustrate clear changes in carbon levels. Overall, since “a healthy planet means fewer diseases,” we need to understand our role in the frequent occurrence of zoonotic diseases and what we can do about climate change and global warming. Overall, it was unfortunate that COVID-19 took place. In any event, this pandemic has started with human hubris and condescension to nature, and it will end with our humility and respect for mother Earth. We are fighting against the virus with our best effort, but on many levels, we are also fighting our inner selves for the development of the human race. After all, if we learn and grow from such tragedy, it is not all bad. Apart from the positive environmental changes that COVID-19 has brought us, we also need to think about this virus as a wake up call, a warning sign that tells us not to disregard climate change. Hopefully, this tragedy will conclude soon with enlightening ideas about sustainability, which is the key to preventing more environmental and humanitarian crises in the future.