The coronavirus has caused a lot of chaos and mass hysteria since March. Unfortunately, there have been many deaths because of this virus. Not only has COVID-19 taken many lives, but it will also leave a massive footprint on Earth. However, COVID-19 has shown us that there is hope in saving our environment.
In the beginning of this scare, people were advised to stay home and social distance from each other. Many businesses and activities were also shut down because of the pandemic. People were traveling less, so carbon emissions were lower than usual. When Italy was shut down, the canals were no longer being used in Venice, and as a result, the water became a lot cleaner and dolphins were seen swimming in the clear water.
Social distancing also played a role in positive environmental impacts. Since there were no crowds of people in public places like beaches, people were able to get rid of trash that accumulated in these places. Another indirect result of the coronavirus was the reduction of environmental noise. This noise is usually generated from cars and the public. High levels of noise causes discomfort for many different species in the surrounding environment. Since noise levels were reduced, more wildlife could be seen and live more comfortably.
On the other hand, COVID-19 has caused plenty of negative impacts on our environment. Plastic bag bans began, but many companies decided to bring plastic bags back to keep customers from bringing in their reusable bags. Since many restaurants have been closed or have been limited to half their capacity, many people have started to order food online more frequently, increasing domestic waste. Another example of domestic waste being generated can be seen at SUNY Oswego. Dining halls are no longer open for dine-in services, and because of this, students accumulate plenty of containers and paper bags after each meal they eat. Recycling has also gone down because many of the recycling facilities have been shut down due to COVID-19.
Another environmental issue with coronavirus is littering. Many people use paper masks which are used one to two times before they are considered “bad,” so many people discard these masks onto the ground after exiting a store.
In the very beginning of this pandemic, we witnessed many positive impacts that were pushing us into the right direction toward slowing climate change and saving our planet. This shows us that we can make progress in saving the environment, but we need to follow rules that must be put in place to do so. The coronavirus is leaving a footprint on our Earth, and there needs to be some sort of change to put this to an end. Things have only gotten worse as many places have started to open again. However, there is hope that we can actually decrease the negative effects impacting the environment, and this was demonstrated from the early actions taken during this pandemic.
Photo from Flickr
