Impact of COVID-related lockdowns on environmental and climate change scenarios

• Published in: Environmental research 2021-04, Vol.195, p.110839-110839, Article 110839
• Main Authors: Bhat, Shakeel Ahmad, Bashir, Omar, Bilal, Muhammad, Ishaq, Aamir, Din Dar, Mehraj U., Kumar, Rohitashw, Bhat, Rouf Ahmad, Sher, Farooq
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution - analysis; Air quality index; Brazil; China; Cities; Climate Change; Communicable Disease Control; COVID-19; Environmental impacts; Environmental Monitoring; France; Global pandemic; Humans; India; Italy; Outbreak; Pandemics; Particulate Matter - analysis; SARS-CoV-2; Spain; Waste management and Covid-19
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110839

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a major challenge from human health perspective. The alarming exponential increase in the transmission and fatality rates related to this disease has brought the world to a halt so as to cope up with its stern consequences. This has led to the imposition of lockdown across the globe to prevent the further spread of this disease. This lock down brought about drastic impacts at social and economic fronts. However, it also posed some positive impacts on environment as well particularly in the context of air quality due to reduction in concentrations of particulate matter (PM), NO2 and CO across the major cities of the globe as indicated by several research organizations. In China, Italy, France and Spain, there were about 20–30% reduction in NO2 emission while in USA 30% reduction in NO2 emission were observed. Compared to previous year, there was 11.4% improvement in the air quality in China. Drastic reductions in NO (−77.3%), NO2 (−54.3%) and CO (−64.8%) (negative sign indicating a decline) concentrations were observed in Brazil during partial lockdown compared to the five year monthly mean. In India there were about −51.84, −53.11, −17.97, −52.68, −30.35, 0.78 and −12.33% reduction in the concentration of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, O3 and NH3 respectively. This article highlights the impact of lockdown on the environment and also discusses the pre and post lockdown air pollution scenario across major cities of the world. Several aspect of environment such as air, water, noise pollution and waste management during, pre and post lockdown scenario were studied and evaluated comprehensively. This research would therefore serve as a guide to environmentalist, administrators and frontline warriors for fighting our the way to beat this deadly disease and minimize its long term implications on health and environment. [Display omitted] •Substantial improvement in air quality in big cities of the world during COVID-19 lockdown.•Reduction in NO2 emission up to 30% throughout the world.•Significant reduction in noise pollution as lockdown rings in the sound of silence.•Increased waste generated from households, hospitals and reduction in recycling become a serious issue.•The noise level was reduced up to 35%–68% all over the world.