COVID and the Climate

A tale of two crises.

2020 has been some year.

And we’ve only just entered July.

COVID-19 is still a very real global threat. But fortunately for an increasing number of countries, the ‘end’ is in sight. No new cases, no new deaths: finally able to begin returning to some degree of ‘normality’, whatever that may be in a post-pandemic world. For some however (looking at you, USA) there’s still a long way to go. But these days, the news is plagued far less by images of mass graves and hospital wards. There is hope, at least for humankind.

But what about the environment?

On March 23rd, Boris Johnson announced in his daily televised address that the UK was to enter lockdown, and by March 31st around 1/3 of humanity was subjected to some form of lockdown measure, all in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19. By April 7th, approximately 95% of American citizens faced lockdown as 42 states declared stay-at-home orders. And surely enough, with us humans now off the streets, out of the air and off the seas: the environment, at long last, was finally being given a break.

Wildlife was braving a return to the silent towns and cities that interrupted their habitats. Kashmiri goats were photographed assuming residence in the Welsh seaside town of Llandudno, whilst wild boars reclaimed the unusually empty streets of Barcelona. The infamous deer of Nara Park in Japan – so accustomed to feeding by park visitors that they have began to become reliant on humans – decided to venture into the city in search of other tasty plant life to snack on. Animals were returning to the concrete jungles where their homes once stood.

There was respite for the oceans, too. Pods of orca were reported to be returning to ancestral waters, being spotted in places they had previously been absent for years. Less shipping traffic meant less underwater noise pollution, allowing cetaceans – which rely on echolocation to hunt and socialise – to communicate with each other more effectively and across larger distances. Noise from shipping vessels is known to cause significant stress in marine animals, particularly in whales, dolphins and porpoises: resulting in them changing both the sounds of their calls and how frequently they call to each other. But during this pandemic, the oceans are recorded to be the quietest they’ve been in over 150 years. In an interview with The Guardian, Dr Michelle Fournet of Cornell University – who studies humpback whales off the coast of south-east Alaska – revealed a depressing but important truth:

‘We have a generation of humpback whales that have never known a quiet ocean.’
– Dr Michelle Fournet, Cornell University

Sea turtles were also reaping the benefits of our disappearance, as they come ashore to lay their eggs during the nesting season. The survival rate for turtle hatchlings is slim enough – with an average of 1 in every 1,000 making it to adulthood – but on beaches bustling with tourists, the rate of nest disruption and hatchling mortality is far higher. This is why in the 5 years prior to the worldwide virus-induced lockdown, the largest of the sea turtle species – the leatherback – had all but abandoned the island of Phuket, Thailand, as a nesting site. But now, with all of us stuck indoors and leaving the beaches in peace, leatherback nesting in the area is at the highest level seen in over 20 years. This increase in nesting is being witnessed elsewhere in the world, too: thousands of olive ridley turtles have hatched on beaches across northern India, while the number of nesting leatherbacks seen in Florida is significantly higher than nesting figures obtained in the 2019 season.

‘Leatherback nesting in the area is at the highest level seen in over 20 years.’
– Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, Phuket Marine Biological Centre

Alongside this, satellite tracking of global fisheries during the COVID-19 pandemic, shared by Global Fishing Watch, has seen a marked increase in the number of coastal fleets remaining docked at their ports. In China, Spain, Italy and France, reductions as much as 50-75% were seen in coastal fishing activity, compared to data from 2019. These figures are particularly significant when considering that, since the 1950s, 60% of the world’s fisheries have been fished beyond capacity whilst 20% have completely collapsed. Though industrial fishing was less affected, seeing only a 10% decline in activity, any reduction in pressure on our fisheries offers significant respite for marine life.

Global fishing activity (hours) through April 28th (2020) relative to the previous two-year average, displayed for the periods before and after the March 11th WHO declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Image Credit: Global Fishing Watch.

Canals and even the seas at some of the world’s busiest beaches, where water previously swirled a murky brown, were showing their true colours in the absence of human activity: beautiful, crystal clear and almost tropical in appearance. Green spaces and grassy verges were left to grow wild, providing new havens for all kinds of bug life: wildflowers alive with the buzzing of bees and butterflies. After 30 years of being hidden beneath a shroud of air pollution, the Himalayan mountains were finally revealed to citizens in northern India: some of whom had never witnessed their majesty before now. The natural world was beginning to showcase itself in all of its wonderous, undisturbed glory.

‘Himalayas come into view for first time in 30 years in northern India as lockdown leads to drop in air pollution.’
– Imogen Braddick for Evening Standard

Is the coronavirus entwined with the climate crisis as well? It would appear so. With the enforcement of lockdown reducing vehicle traffic – including by air and sea – and limiting factory production, carbon emissions also appeared to be decreasing. It makes sense that this would be the case, as the transport industry itself is responsible for 23% of global carbon emissions: broken down to a 72% contribution by cars to this figure and 11% by aviation. Industrial processes – including manufacturing and construction – are responsible for 18.4% of total emissions. With these heavily-polluting human activities largely halted as a result of the virus, our earth had a chance to breathe.

In New York alone, it’s been claimed that the level of air pollution has dropped by almost 50% due to the stay-at-home order. In China – one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions – it was reported that emissions fell by around 25% over a four-week period whilst the country was in lockdown, according to an analysis conducted by Carbon Brief. This analysis also reviewed six of China’s largest power plants, revealing that there had been a 40% decrease in the use of coal as a power source across all of these plants from the end of 2019.

Graph depicting the change in coal consumption from 2015-2020 across six of China’s major power firms, in the run up to and following Chinese New Year. Image Credit: Carbon Brief.

Satellite imagery of China, shared by NASA in late February, showed clearly the extent at which levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) had decreased due to the reduction in industrial, transportation and business activity during lockdown. This was a story being replicated across northern Italy, Spain, and even here in the UK. Though, it’s important to recognise that a significant decrease in one specific air pollutant doesn’t necessarily mean that the air is suddenly free of all emissions. But this remarkable change, which has occurred over a relatively short time period, should still be seen as clear evidence that in the absence of human activity, our environment can recover.

Satellite imagery of the change in nitrogen dioxide levels over China, produced by a Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on ESA’s Sentinel-5 satellite. Image Credit: Josh Stevens (NASA Earth Observatory)

We celebrated when we heard these stories. Or at least, those of us that heard them did. Understandably, the primary focus of media reporting was everything coronavirus: how Italy was coping, the severe struggles of South America, how New Zealand was succeeding and how Donald Trump was – or rather wasn’t – handling it. A quick, 2-minute segment on BBC News one day drew attention to the clearing of the Venice canals, but that was it. Occasionally a story would slip through on social media, but only if you were already following environmental-orientated channels. There was no more attention. The environment was in every aspect of the phrase, left to its own devices.

Prior to COVID-19 destroying everyone’s plans, people from all age groups would take to the streets every Friday without fail to campaign for a better world. Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s ‘Fridays for the Future’ strike movement they would stand there, rain or shine, and demand that society, government bodies and major corporations make changes to save our planet. Demanding that they listen. In the years following the release of Blue Planet II and Seven Worlds, One Planet – two incredibly powerful documentary series which showed the raw and brutal reality of the human impact on our natural world – we were seeing evidence of tentative steps towards actually listening to those demands. Plastic straw bans, plastic bag charges, stricter carbon emission targets: it was finally something in the right direction.

But what now? In areas where beach clean-up crews and marine conservationists can resume their work, there has been a horrifying discovery: single-use PPE items – masks and gloves – are now littering our oceans, and these masks will exist within the marine environment for 450 years at minimum. In the city of Wuhan, China, it’s been reported that 200 tonnes of medical waste have been piling up per day. Medical waste is particularly dangerous for two reasons: firstly, it carries the risk of harbouring the virus on its surface and as a result, is too unsafe to be recycled. Secondly, due to the complications surrounding its disposal, the only way to safely get rid of this waste is to burn it: creating yet another environmental issue through the release of fumes from melting plastic. However, it’s important to remember that PPE is vital in preventing the spread of COVID-19. But more must be done – whether its encouraging the use of reusable masks or providing PPE-specific disposal bins in communities – in order to prevent adding environmental pollution to the virus symptom list.

Already with the easing of lockdown in the UK alone, we’ve witnessed a complete disregard for any progress our planet may have made in our absence. The sun came out, restrictions were relaxed, and our wild places suffered. It was at this point that the environment made the headlines: rubbish, everywhere. Strewn across beaches, riversides, beauty spots and even found at the tops of hills and mountains. Bins overflowing. McDonald’s packaging branding every street and car park. In one day, 41 tonnes of waste were left discarded on Bournemouth beach as the masses descended upon the seashore to lap up the sunshine. Humanity had well and truly returned.

But while governments make their plans for economic recovery, there is still nothing said about helping the environment. Not a single whisper about potentially increasing restoration and conservation efforts, no mention of increasing funding to environmental charities already overlooked prior to the virus, but which tirelessly strive to protect our wildlife. COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference which was due to be held in Glasgow this November – has now been postponed to 2021: but did any of us know that in the lead up to the conference, 2020 had been declared the ‘Year of Climate Action’ for the UK? There’s growing concern amongst environmentalists that the post-virus recovery will be centred solely around us humans: rebuilding the economy, restarting travel and tourism, returning children to education, repaying the debts amassed in an attempt to keep countries afloat. Reversing our planet’s healing process, all in a desperate attempt to return to some degree of ‘normality’.

So where do we go from here?

It’s critical that we address that our post-pandemic way of living must change and remain changed. Though our shops will reopen and before too long, we’ll be reunited with friends for a few drinks at the pub: it’s paramount that we don’t revert to a state of ignorance. We can’t allow our concerns about the economy to completely overshadow concerns about environmental issues. The collapse of our natural environment will, ultimately, have a far more devastating impact on the economy and every one of us as individuals than COVID-19 ever had, if we decide to sweep the climate crisis under the post-pandemic rug.

We must look at how our environment has benefitted in the absence of humanity and find ways to support and continue its healing. We need widespread reporting of the ways in which our planet has recovered during our lockdown. It’s vital that this becomes public knowledge to inspire any degree of change in society. We have a unique opportunity now where we must rebuild our economy, but look to do this sustainably and following a green image. We must consider working towards a circular economy, consider introducing increased outdoor learning for schoolchildren to engage them with the natural world. Strive harder than we ever have to meet and beat carbon emission targets. Community and coastal clean-ups should become the norm: parks and beaches should be equipped with accessible tools to encourage citizens to keep our wild spaces clean. Conservation charities must receive more financial support to continue conducting crucial research into our wildlife and the impacts of human activity. We need to empower more community groups and leaders, particularly in schools and youth groups, to deliver conservation education to younger generations. These are simple steps to begin making change at the most basic level.

In the grander scheme of things, major corporations WILL accept their responsibility to employ sustainable practice: reducing water and power wastage, reducing plastic pollution and reducing their carbon footprint (and while they’re at it, ensure all workers are paid a livable wage and provided comfortable, appropriate working conditions). Governments WILL work to reform all economic sectors – from fishing to agriculture, industry to transport – to provide greater protection and consideration to the environment and the roles these sectors play in the climate crisis. It’s absolutely necessary we ALL do more.

One of the biggest lessons that COVID-19 has taught us is that there is hope for our environment. It isn’t too late. If given the time and space to breathe, our planet can and will recover. That an accumulation of individual actions – such as all of us staying at home – can make a significant difference. We’ve been presented with a rare chance to make substantial, positive change. To witness how our planet has healed in our absence, to learn from it, and to find a better, greener way to move forward and create a new normality.

We must create a new normality.

The future of our planet depends on it.

References:

COVID and the Climate

A tale of two crises.

Published by Caitlin Turner

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A tale of two crises.

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Published by Caitlin Turner

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