Covid-19 pandemic: boon or bane for the environment?
The coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) first emerged at the end of December 2019, from the Seafood market in Wuhan City of China, and was declared as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Nationwide lockdowns were imposed and the everyday activities of the world were turned upside down. This blog intends to take into account both the positive and the negative environmental impacts of the pandemic. Let us first have a detailed look at the positive impacts of the pandemic. 1. Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions As all the industries, companies and factories were shut down, there was a drop in greenhouse gas emissions which reduced the level of air pollution- a positive sign for the ozone layer. A halt in travel related activities lead to lesser consumption of fossil fuels, adding to the good quality of air. This was a good sign for the ozone layer and it seemed like the earth was healing itself. 2. Reduction in water pollution Usually