Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Climate Change and Environment

This essay examines the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change and environmental sustainability. It explores the reduction in carbon emissions due to lockdowns and decreased industrial activity, leading to improved air quality in some regions. The essay also discusses the negative consequences, such as increased plastic waste from disposable masks and PPE. Furthermore, it analyzes the pandemic's effects on various sectors, including transportation, energy, and remote working, and their implications for long-term environmental actions. The essay highlights the complex interplay between human behavior, economic recession, and environmental changes during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for strategic adjustments to mitigate further climate change and support a functional economic system.

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Interactive learning skills and
communication resit assessment

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
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·INTRODUCTION
Covid - 19 pandemic has created a disturbance across almost all the countries present in
the entire world. This resulted in causing global health crisis while forcing the graph of economy
to fall by major extents (Herrero & Thornton, (2020)). This all happened due to the imposition
of strict quarantine measures. Addition to this, the pandemic has impacted on the environment in
a very provocative way. There are both positive and negative effects of the pandemic. Interactive
learning is an approach towards the course design and delivery as it has evolved from the growth
and use of digital technology. Interactive learning has become a integral part of the education
system. The more and more use of technology has increased the use and reliance on the
interactive learning which has lead to a revolution in the basic process of education. The forms
of communication and interactive learning has changed over the time of pandemic. There are
many different approaches to settle in the new normal. The aim of the essay is to explain the
consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in the time of climate change.
·MAIN BODY
Covid - 19 has affected the lives of many people along with the major impact on the
climate change. The regulations for lock down less human activities has lead to reduced carbon
emissions and human mobility. This has helped in improving the quality of air which
encouraged wild animals to come out and explore the area without the fear of human shooting or
hunting. However, this step for positive sustainability will not effect for long term. The quality
of air is improved in certain areas due to the past few months amidst Covid - 19 pandemic.
There was a complete shut down of industries such as aviation as well as other means of
transport which contributed to reduce the air pollution where the countries were severely
affected by the virus. Almost all the offices were running for remote places following the work
from home guidelines which also played a huge part in reducing the carbon emissions (Hepburn,
& et.al., (2020)). It can be said that the reduction in the gross domestic product which lead to
economic recession generated a reduction in global carbon emissions when compared to the
emissions happening before. These reduced emission are contributing very positively to the
environment as it is exposing the environment to less amount of greenhouse gases.
Economic recession by the virus is connected to cause a drop in the emission of harmful
gases during this last particular year. There images form satellites which showed the good

amount of reduction of pollution in China (Bhat, & et.al., (2021)) within the less than five
weeks into the lock down (Gong, & Sun, (2020)). The long term effects contradicted from the
outbreak of pandemic includes the lessons and opportunities which will result in environmental
actions. People are comfortable to become comfortable by digital platforms such as remote
working, education, shopping and many more. This pandemic has brought the private and
government institution with the social media usage together which is very helpful in tackling
other issues related to the important factors of climate change. Human response to this
devastating pandemic will shape the factors of dealing with climate change crisis in the
upcoming years. This lock down have made people have the feeling of scarcity which has lead to
follow some incidentally beneficial steps and habits to conserve resources. public healthy crisis
such as this pandemic was considered as a turning point for the another crisis of climate change
which holds the potential of impacting the humanity. There was a decrease in air pollution along
the waterways of Venice due to less boat traffic. The London based Carbon Tracker said that the
Covid - 19 pandemic have impacted on the fossil fuel industry coming into a terminal decline.
the demand for oil and gas decreased as the government of the country was focusing on
generating clean energy transition (Mandal, & et.al., (2020)). The decrease in demand for fossil
fuels made the profits happening in future of this industry to collapse. During the time of
pandemic, more and more people have started cycling which is healthy for those individuals as
well as the climate (George, Lakhani & Puranam, (2020)). Many people are looking to make
these changes more permanent in their lives. In all these steps which reduced the harmful effects
of Covid, litter contributed against it.
As a consequence of the use of unprecedented use of face masks which are disposable
and the increase in the number of masks which were discarded out in the open, added to the
already existing heavy burden of the plastic waste. The demand for plastic related to the medical
use has increased in many countries along. Higher perceived risk of COVID-19 pandemic,
higher concern for climate change: evidence from a longitudinal study in China. with the
personal protective materials such as gloves, masks, PPE kits also contributed to the plastic
usage. The collective use of such products in healthcare as well as personal lives can worsen the
environmental issues which are majorly due to the use of plastic and have a topic of concern
from past very long time. Due to the remote working policies, the electricity consumed by
offices have reduced to a very large extent. The weather forecasts which was announced to the

entire world that because of the aviation industry being shut down and reduction in the flying of
aircraft due to this pandemic has a major impact on the accuracy of the weather forecast citing to
the commercial airlines (Verma & Prakash, (2020)). On the other hand seismologists said that
during the phase of lock down along with the other measures to prevent the covid - 19 have lead
to the reduction of the mean global high frequency seismic noise. This noise reduction is the
result from many different factors such as less traffics ans use of transportation, low level of
activities happening in industry, few economic activity. The reduction in noise helped in better
monitoring and detection of natural seismic sources like earthquake and volcanic activities.
Climate change and a pandemic are both deadly to the human life and can be prevented with the
help of strategic adjustments to stop the further loss.
·CONCLUSION
Human beings are a part of nature and its activities which will impact both the environment and
the human life. Determining the good and bad effects of covid on climate are important study
while helping in creating a functional economic system which will support the lives of people
without causing any harm to the Earth and its resources. Everyone wants to reduce the carbon
emission but not in this way. This pandemic has caused some dark costs to the human life,
healthcare system and the mental health of humans. Although, it was very clear the communities
can help in making a difference by taking care of each other and the environment.

·REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bhat, & et.al., (2021). Impact of COVID-related lockdowns on environmental and climate
change scenarios. Environmental Research. 195. p.110839.
George, G., Lakhani, K.R. & Puranam, P., (2020). What has changed? The impact of Covid
pandemic on the technology and innovation management research agenda. Journal of
Management Studies. 57(8). pp.1754.
Gong, Y. & Sun, Y., (2020). Higher perceived risk of COVID-19 pandemic, higher concern for
climate change: evidence from a longitudinal study in China.
Hepburn, & et.al., (2020). Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress
on climate change?. Oxford Review of Economic Policy. 36(Supplement_1). pp.S359-
S381.
Herrero, M. & Thornton, P., (2020). What can COVID-19 teach us about responding to climate
change?. The Lancet Planetary Health. 4(5). p.e174.
Mandal, & et.al., (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: sudden restoration in global environmental
quality and its impact on climate change. EnerarXiv preprint.
Verma, A. & Prakash, S., (2020). Impact of covid-19 on environment and society. Journal of
Global Biosciences. 9(5). pp.7352-7363.