COVID-19 has affected the climate in several ways, good and bad. The pandemic has lowered rates of international travel and increased walking and biking to work. However, it has also created more plastic use and caused more deforestation.
Aviation is responsible for 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. The decreased air travel resulting from the pandemic decreased CO2 emissions, nitrogen oxide emissions, and ozone creation, in addition to particulate matter.
Another improvement comes from increased walking and biking, as people try to avoid public transportation. Some streets have been reserved for pedestrians. Oakland, CA excluded cars from 74 miles of road to encourage walking and biking. Bike paths are even being built, which will promote biking even after the pandemic ends. 93 miles for biking are being built in Rome. Berlin, Barcelona, Minneapolis, Seattle, New York and San Francisco are also promoting biking and walking to avoid public transportation. Notably, 400 miles for bikes have been opened in Paris.
The pandemic has also provided opportunities for illegal destruction of the Amazon rainforest, while the government in Brazil is distracted by COVID-19. According to the article, The Amazon Continues to Burn, 464 square miles were razed in four months (January to April). According to the same source, which cited an analysis made of satellite images by the National Space Research Institute of Brazil, 1,202 square kilometers of forest(20 times Manhattan’s size) was destroyed in that time. The article stated that this was 55% more than last year in the same amount of time.
Another negative effect is increased plastic. Masks, gloves, plastic bags, and plexiglass dividers have increased in use. Multiple states and cities have banned reusable shopping bags for now and delayed plastic bag bans. Some areas have curtailed recycling(including Fayetteville, AK and Dalton, GA). Online shopping packaging has also increased the carbon footprint.
COVID-19 has brought some improvement to global warming, but it has also brought many changes that could increase global warming. Plastic use has been increased both in protection(such as gloves) and plastic packaging. Avoidance of public transportation has removed a part of the air travel greenhouse gas emissions and public transportation use and increased walking and biking. The Amazon Rainforest is being illegally destroyed while the Brazilian government is focused on the pandemic. COVID-19, even though it has reduced CO2 emissions, has also brought changes that could increase global warming. In order to help the environment during the pandemic, we can use fabric masks, cook at home instead of getting takeout if we are able to, and walk or bike, avoiding transportation that could worsen the CO2 emissions.