Coronavirus and Ecology: Unexpected Consequences of the Epidemic

The spread of coronavirus is changing life on the planet. Due to the fact that people are obligated to stay at home, there are a lot of consequences: planes stopped flying, the number of harmful emissions decreased, industrial production stopped, in Venice, the water in the canals became so clean that fish and birds returned there. So, we can see how nature begins to recover.

Air Pollution in China Drops Significantly

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, authorities have introduced global restrictions on transportation and industrial production. This affected the environment, especially in China, where authorities have stopped the “large” production for a significant period.

NASA‘s air quality researcher, Fei Liu, said that for the first time in the history of his own observations, he noticed such a sharp drop in air pollution in China, and according to the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research, from February 3 to March 1 CO2 emissions decreased by about 25%.

China is one of the largest sources of air and water pollution on the planet. China annually accounts for about 30% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the world. In fact, for a month and a half, China has not reproduced about 200 million tons of carbon dioxide, and this is more than half of the total annual emissions of Great Britain.

According to Professor Marshall Burke, hundreds of thousands of people die every year in China because of air pollution. Considering above mentioned, these months without emissions of Chinese factories have saved the lives of about 70 thousand people.

Ecological Changes in Europe

NASA has shared pictures of pollution over Europe. According to them, over the month, nitrogen dioxide emissions almost halved there. The European Space Agency reports that now it is especially noticeable in the north of Italy – in Milan, the streets of which two months ago were filled with cars and tourists.

As we all know, one of the European countries that have been most affected by coronavirus is Italy. Surely, we’ve heard about all the dramatic causes, but this article is not about the dark part of the epidemic. Thinking positively, we want to mention the fact that inhabitants of Venice saw an unexpected positive result of quarantine measures, as the world-famous canals are not full of boats with tourists. As a result, for the first time in many years, the townspeople saw transparent water in the canals.

In different regions of Italy, citizens can see dolphins, swans, and ducks that are returning to waterways where they have long been gone. Thus, scientists are going to carefully study the environmental impact of a coronavirus outbreak.

Penguins Openly Explore Chicago Aquarium

In Chicago (USA), the Shedd Aquarium was closed to visitors, and staff released local penguins and allowed them to explore the area. Now they walk through the halls and examine fish that they would not have met in nature.

Workers are filming how penguins get to know their neighbors.

https://twitter.com/shedd_aquarium/status/1239661654629023747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239661654629023747&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftsn.ua%2Fru%2Fsvit%2Fkak-koronavirus-povliyal-na-mirovuyu-prirodu-vozduh-stal-chische-v-venecii-delfiny-a-pingviny-gulyayut-po-okeanariumu-chikago-1510185.html

A representative of the aquarium said that “Now that there are no visitors because of the coronavirus in the world, caretakers come up with different ways to entertain animals. We show them new activities and new food, make them move and also encourage them to explore the territory and behave as in a natural habitat.”

Clean Air will Help Us Defeat the Invisible Enemy

Scientists argue that there is an inexplicable connection between atmospheric air quality and a person’s ability to withstand infectious diseases. The state of the environment is one of the key factors that make up the human immune system.

Long-term environmental pollution will always increase the spread and aggravate the effects of infectious diseases in the event of a pandemic.

The director of the Hugo Observatory, François Gemenne, stated that “the number of deaths from coronavirus can ultimately be a lesser evil, given the deaths from air pollution,” and he also mentioned that because of the air and water pollution more than 8 million people around the world die every year.

Conclusion

Taking into account all the above-mentioned things, we can definitely say that the impact of coronavirus on the environment is colossal. Now people have a chance to think in deep about nature. Moreover, they become more responsible in their relationship with the environment. So, we advise to take care of you and be more thoughtful with nature.

Featured image: fool.com