Holy men who met their unholy ends
Carbon Brief reported that China’s CO2 emissions were reduced by a quarter due to the pandemic.
On March 10, 2020, the Airport Council International reported a 13.5% drop in airport passenger footfall.
An air quality researcher at NASA’s Goddard space flight center said: “This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.”
NASA observed a drop in pollution levels over China’s Hubei province since the outbreak began.
With more airlines canceling flights all over the world, this number will likely increase.
Environmental resource economist Marshall Burke calculates that two months of pollution reduction in China has probably saved the lives of 4,000 children under five and 73,000 adults over 70 (which would otherwise have been affected by high levels of pollution).
On March 11, 2020, Spain’s Directorate General for Traffic reported a 14.3% drop in Madrid’s rush hour traffic.
Since the outbreak began, and with many countries going into lockdown, there are substantially less cars, airplanes, and vessels in motion.
Traffic in New York City dropped 35%, and emissions of carbon monoxide have consequently gone down substantially.
Global oil demand is expected to decline, but as more people stay at home, energy consumption will likely rise.
There are also concerns over the use of sanitizers and disinfectants, as these can be toxic for the environment when not disposed of properly.
On March 11, 2020, DE-CIX reported a new world record: over 9 terabits per second data throughput at Frankfurt Internet Exchange. This makes it the Internet Exchange with the most data throughput worldwide.
According to National Geographic, the viral footage of swans was actually captured in the canals of Burano, where they are regulars. And the videos of the dolphins swimming were captured in Sardinia.
The chemical products, wipes, and plastic bottles may end up in landfills or directly in streams and rivers.
Sika deer at Nara Park no longer have tourists to feed them rice crackers and take selfies. As a result, the animals started wandering the streets looking for food.
Macaques at Phra Prang Sam Yot monkey temple are used to being fed by tourists. Since tourists are no longer visiting the temple, the animals are behaving more aggressively.
Lockdowns and quarantines mean people are using more electricity and more Internet.
As more and more countries provide medical care for victims, and the population in general uses more disposable face masks and other materials, medical waste has soared.
China, for instance, has been dealing with tonnes of discarded face masks and medical waste.
In Wuhan alone, the volume of medical waste quadrupled to over 200 tonnes a day.
Claus Zehner, European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, said: "The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the Po Valley in northern Italy is particularly evident."
Internet providers have seen a surge in demand. For example, Vodafone reported a 50% rise in Internet use in Europe.
See also: The businesses profiting from the coronavirus pandemic.
Asmita Sengupta, an ecologist at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment in Bangalore, India, says: “Once they get used to being fed by humans, they become habituated to humans and even display hyper-aggression if they are not given food.”
Gary Stokes, founder of the environmental group Oceans Asia, alerted: “We only have had masks for the last six to eight weeks, in a massive volume... we are now seeing the effect on the environment.”
Though many fake “wildlife returning” videos have gone viral. While Venice waters are indeed much cleaner, the news of animals such as swans and dolphins swimming there are fake.
Images of clear water in Venice's canals have appeared on the Internet. No boat traffic and the absence of tourists seems to have made an impact on water quality.
Hundreds of masks are piling up on Hong Kong's beaches.
The coronavirus pandemic is having a great impact on our planet. Images of the Venice canals' crystal clear waters, and a major decrease in air pollution in countries such as China and Italy, have made headlines. But while Earth seems to be healing in some ways, the COVID-19 impact on waste and electricity consumption is also a concern.
In this gallery, we look at the environmental impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Click on.
In 2018, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 93% of all children under the age of 15 are breathing toxic, polluted air.
The environmental impact of COVID-19
Air quality improves, but medical waste and increased energy consumption threaten our planet
LIFESTYLE Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic is having a great impact on our planet. Images of the Venice canals' crystal clear waters, and a major decrease in air pollution in countries such as China and Italy, have made headlines. But while Earth seems to be healing in some ways, the COVID-19 impact on waste and electricity consumption is also a concern.
In this gallery, we look at the environmental impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Click on.