Environmental and air quality based impacts of COVID-19 on some countries around the globe: a spatiotemporal perspective

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a novel pandemic disease and was first identified in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. It has affected the whole world in a short period of time and declared as a sixth global health emergency as it disturbed routine of human being and all life activities. This study presents a review focusing on ongoing pandemic as a disaster that provided a way of opportunity for change towards potentially positive and negative impacts on the environment. The observed positive aspect for environment in the context of short time impacts are improvement in air quality due to reduction in greenhouse gas emission, noise, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter < = 2.5 μm experienced in countries including India, Pakistan, China, USA, Italy, France, Spain, and other European countries. The observed negative impacts include organic waste generation and its mismanagement due to lockdown, non-functioning of waste recycling plants, municipal activities, and medical waste of materials used for personnel care protection. The study is explored through image data available from European Space Agency and National Aeronautical Space Agency to assess positive and negative impacts on environment. With available environmental observations, this review aims to assess impacts of current pandemic on environment focusing on some major Asian, European countries and USA. The present approach enabled determining changes with positive and negative effects on the environment. The observed assessments provide spatiotemporal based support for theoretical perspective that pandemic disasters can provide a way of opportunity for positive change in environment with slight negative environmental change.