How did covid-19 affect climate change?
The covid 19 showed us how helpless we can be to such threats. The disease gas affected every aspect of our lives. And we all know that consequences have been taxing on lives and livelihoods. In addition to the sad toll on our health, the disease also thrashed our economies. Developing and third world countries are still recovering from the after-effects caused due to COVID. We all remember the long lockdowns, the extensive sanitisation procedures, and the shortage of RT PCR tests and hospital beds.
The virus also limited travel and other outdoor activities. 2021 was also a difficult year for our environment. We could see the rising concern about climate change. The world was facing severe heatwaves, wildfires, floods, cyclones and floods. However, the virus had both positive and negative effects on the climate. It is quite perplexing. Studies suggest due to limited people on the road and regulated usage of fossils the environment did heal a bit. Today we will be discussing some of the effects of covid on the climate.
How has COVID-19 affected the climate?
The pandemic resulted in restricting people from travelling and using routine resources. Hence, the researchers observed that this was fruitful for the environment. The emission of greenhouse gases decreased drastically since the roads did not have running cars and factories reduced their production too. This in turn also reduced the air pollution. Scientists observed the changes that would take several years to come into effect. NASA conducted a comprehensive survey that observed the effects of covid on the environment and atmosphere. They used satellite data to understand this phenomenon better. Limited economic activities regulated the emission of harmful.
Studies have shown that air pollution carries more viruses and increases the spread of the virus. Although as we know the steps we take to avoid covid also help with our carbon profile. It has been confirmed by a lot of sources that many countries did see a significant improvement in air pollution levels. This is mostly because industries and air travel has been stopped. Countries like China, Italy, Spain, etc are the ones that were seriously affected by COVID and they saw reductions in air pollutants due to the strict lockdowns. Most of this depends on commuting and transportation as they decrease so do the gasses emitted by them.
How can we reverse Climate change?
1. Use more renewable energy for your home
You can help with climate change by powering your house with a more reusable energy source. For instance, choose a company that generates power from hydro energy or windmills. Or you can also take control of your energy usage. In this way, you can save electricity and help with this climate change.
2. Reduce food wastage and switch to more plant-rich food
Wastage of food is one of the most prevalent ways to trigger climate change. If you do not eat what you buy. Buy limited food items and make sure you use them. You can also cut down your meat consumption and it is always better to switch to plant-rich food. Studies have shown that the meat industry is one of the biggest reasons behind climate change.
3. Use a fuel-efficient car or vehicle
We all know that vehicles are one of the primary factors contributing to the air pollution level. Switch to an electric car or reduce individual travel and use more public vehicles.
4. Reduce your carbon footprint
Use more eco-friendly materials. For example, reduce the usage of plastic and use more reusable materials like jute or cloth basted things.
COVID 19 reduced some air pollution levels and help with climate change but the pandemic also took a lot of lives. Certainly, it is not a very durable solution to all this. We need to get rid of this virus. Follow all the precautions so that we can bid goodbye to the virus soon.
