Abstract
The pandemic caused by novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is generating a high number of cases and deaths, with negative effects on public health and economic systems. One of the current questions in the contemporary environmental and sustainability debate is how high air pollution and reduced use of renewable energy can affect the diffusion of COVID-19. This study endeavors to explain the relation between days of air pollution, wind resources and energy, and the diffusion of COVID-19 to provide insights into sustainable policy to prevent future epidemics. The statistical analysis here focuses on a case study of Italy, one of the first countries to experience a rapid increase in confirmed cases and deaths. The results reveal two main findings: (1) cities with high wind speed and high wind energy production have a lower number of cases of COVID-19 in the context of a more sustainable environment; (2) cities located in hinterland zones with high air pollution, low wind speed and less wind energy production have a greater number of cases and total deaths. The results presented here suggest that the pandemic caused by novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and future epidemics similar to COVID-19 cannot be solved only with research in medicine but the solution also needs advanced capabilities and technologies for supporting sustainable development based on the reduction of air pollution and increase of production in renewable energy to improve air quality and as a consequence public health.
Highlights
Introduction and Related WorksWithin environmental and sustainability science, new and relatively unexplored topics are continually emerging, such as factors determining the diffusion of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which generates a severe respiratory disorder and is causing the deaths of many individuals worldwide [1,2,3]
The research questions of this study are as follows: What is the relation between cases of COVID-19, air pollution and unsustainable environments with low renewable wind energy production? What is the impact of this relationship on the spread of COVID-19 and on public health? In the context of these problems in environmental and sustainable sciences, this study focuses on a case study of Italy, one of the first countries to accumulate a high number of deaths from COVID-19
- The percentage of cases and total deaths weighted with population of Italian regions reveals that around 74.50% of cases and around 81% of deaths caused by COVID-19 in Italy occur in regions with many days of air pollution and with low production of renewable energy based on wind resources
Summary
Introduction and Related WorksWithin environmental and sustainability science, new and relatively unexplored topics are continually emerging, such as factors determining the diffusion of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which generates a severe respiratory disorder and is causing the deaths of many individuals worldwide [1,2,3]. Several studies present the hypothesis that atmospheric pollution associated with certain climatological factors (such as, high humidity and low wind speed) may support a longer permanence of viral particles in the air, fostering the rapid spread of COVID-19 within polluted regions [5,11,12,14,15] In this context, Martorell-Marugán et al [16] suggest new tools for supporting increased data analysis and statistical capabilities that allow users to explore trends and associations between critical environmental data and the spread of COVID-19 in society. These scholars argue that strong containment and mitigation policies can improve air quality and mitigate the substantial morbidity and mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [18]
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