The Impact of Quarantine on the Environment

By Joelle Lee

Although the pandemic has had a huge effect on the health aspect of the world, it has also provided some interesting insight on our impact on the environment. When over two hundred countries went on lock down, there were some positive and negative impacts on the planet. The global quarantine drastically decreased the number of vehicles on the roads and established many travel restrictions, which lead to better air quality and reduced water pollution. However, it also increased domestic waste due to people staying in their homes for extended periods of time.

The Positive

In China, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions decreased by around 25%, and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emissions were also seen to have significantly decreased through the comparison of satellite images of Chinese NO₂ levels before and during the quarantine. Significant decreases in NO₂ concentrations have also been revealed in Rome, Madrid, and Paris, the first European cities that enforced strict lock down regulations . This reduction is beneficial because NO₂ is a toxic gas that can cause respiratory issues when exposed to lung tissue, and its levels have been rising gradually as more fuels are burned and as more vehicle exhaust is released. In Delhi, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has dropped from 400 to 150 in the period of quarantine. The AQI has a range of 0 to 500, 300 and over representing hazardous air quality. The improved air quality in China was reported to have led to more positive health benefits than deaths from the corona virus.

Another positive benefit of quarantine has been a reduction in water pollution and noise pollution. Tourists can be irresponsible and careless when they go to new places by littering and leaving trash. Since the lock downs have drastically decreased the amount of travel taking place, tourism has reduced, resulting in less waste in beaches and bodies of water. Noise pollution from the sounds of vehicles and industrial activities have been negatively affecting ecosystems, but the decreased use of transportation and commercial activity reduced the noise levels in many major cities.

The Negative

Although there were many benefits of the quarantine for the environment, these improvements are only short term because as the cases of Covid-19 are decreasing, people are returning to their normal routines before the lock down, which means that the decreased numbers of vehicles and tourists will increase again. While the benefits were short-term, the negative consequences of quarantine will have more long-term effects on the environment. Due to people being ordered to stay inside their homes, online shopping has increased, leading to more inorganic waste because of the shipping materials. The rising amount of waste is also from the medical supplies being thrown away after use; masks and gloves are heavily contributing to the increase in garbage. Reducing the spread of the virus has temporarily stopped recycling programs in many cities and has restarted the use of disposable bags in places that previously had a ban on them. This overall increase in waste will just add to the amount of inorganic waste that takes up landfills, which will eventually make the pollution in the air and water worse.

Citations

Kumaravel, S. K., Subraman, R. K., Jayaraj Sivakumar, T. K., Elavarasan, R. M., Vetrichelvan, A. M., Annam, A., & Subramaniam, U. (2020, August 5). Investigation on the impacts of COVID‑19 quarantine on society and environment: Preventive measures and supportive technologies. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13205-020-02382-3.pdf

Wang, Q., & Su, M. (2020, April 22). A preliminary assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on environment – A case study of China. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048969720324323?token=D344CFA330803C525E3CB93B730E02DB6C9B0BC8BC42F2161E4BE23C30023FAE7AA393F09D640A0D078F84BB90024E62

Zambrano-Monserratea, M. A., Ruanob, M. A., & Sanchez-Alcaldec, L. (2020, April 20). Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048969720323305?token=8B911CCA66EB48A673116E90893F20834CB989B8C0FADDE52A18C0768ADFEE4E7ED95015FE5E279F8B2DD3CF3482231C