How Has COVID-19 Influenced the Environment?

Introduction:

Environment forms the important basis for several other life processes. It includes the biosphere, biodiversity, ecosystem, and food chain. For an ecosystem, it is the entire system with which all organisms cohabit in an area. For instance, the ecosystem of our world includes the codependence of animals, humans, plants, and even insects. These factors, when combined, support life and help in overcoming the challenges that species face. Although even non-living things also make up a part of the environment. Some important examples could be that of natural resources.

Natural resources are one of the most integral parts of our life. Without water, air, or sunlight, it would have been impossible to exist for us. We, humans, require the constant support of oxygen, water, and good nutrition to survive. After these, the importance of microorganisms or insects is immense. They help in supporting the minute but necessary tasks that help our survival. No matter how civilized we may have become, even the scientific approach cannot take away the requirement of the environment. We often overlook its importance in today’s developed time. But, with natural disasters, diseases (like the COVID-19 pandemic), humans are forced to realize its need. Hence, we must take care of our environment and tackle the challenges that our future generation might face. Let’s understand this perspective further.

How Has COVID-19 Influenced the Environment?

The COVID-19 pandemic, involving many stages and phases until now has been like a roller coaster ride for our nature. While feeling the relaxation of cleaner air and lesser pollution in lockdown, it has born the effects again.

With increasing restrictions on global travel and even domestic travel, our environment has recovered a little. When people could not move out of their houses, commute through roads or air, there was lesser pollution. I witnessed again a similar impact as there was a steep decline in the amount of load imposed on nature. Because of this wildlife and sea animals also felt the change. There was a lesser amount of hunting, fishing, etc.

With these benefits, it was expected that we would soon realize the importance of a global effort in fighting the oncoming environmental threats. These majorly include a rise in the temperature of the earth, melting glaciers, several animals going extinct. With these factors, not they felt much difference as much should have been. This caused us to return to the stage from where we began. Global warming is an impending threat that would soon show its impact on all of us. While it has already increased the temperature of the sea and even land areas, we need to realize that the next global crisis would only be because of the environment.

With increasing industrial waste, pollution after the resumption of services in most parts of the world, they nullified again the effects. Countries look forward to recovering their ailing economy which hopes to change soon. But, there as well not much difference became notable. With ozone layer depletion and lack of pure oxygen suspected, it would interest to see how the world responds within few years. COVID-19 pandemic may have paused the harm on our environment for a while, but to curb it completely, immediate global measures are a must.