“Pandemic lockdowns improve air quality in 84% of countries worldwide”, “Covid-19: Single-use plastic impact 'will last forever'” and other such claims have been presented in numerous articles published since the beginning of the pandemic.
At this point, most people are aware of the indirect and direct impacts that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on the environment. However, the relationship between COVID-19 and the environment has more to it than that, it is a bidirectional relation, meaning that the environment also has an impact on COVID-19.
The impact of the environment on COVID-19 is twofold. The first and most obvious is that COVID-19 outcomes are influenced by environmental factors such as air quality, extreme weather events as well as other factors that influence the appearance and transmission of the pathogen. It is generally understood that increased exposure to air pollution and smoking negatively impact respiratory health and increase the chances of an individual developing respiratory infection. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can trigger a respiratory tract infection, therefore it would be a safe assumption to state that conditions that impair respiratory function would increase susceptibility to this disease.
This assumption has been corroborated in a number of studies including a recent analysis performed by a professor and his team at Harvard University. According to this team, there is a statistical link between the level of air pollution and air pollution. More specifically, the more an individual is exposed to long-term pollution, the more likely they are to develop more severe complications related to the disease, primarily death. Extreme weather events resulting from climate change lead to mass displacement which increases the risk of transmission by confining large groups of people to small, closed spaces, and introducing new groups to new locations, it also further exacerbates the strain on the health care services and increases individual susceptibility to the disease.
In recent years, the number of recorded extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, etc. has been on the rise. As a result of this, the number of individuals being displaced and relocated has also increased the over-crowding and decreased hygiene amongst affected individuals while also moving said individuals to unaffected areas to ensure safety. These conditions increase the likelihood of transmission of the infectious disease as well as the area which will be affected.
Extreme weather events also result in increased prevalence of health conditions as well as damage to health care facilities and resources. This need for care of patients with COVID-19 as well as other health conditions along with the decreased facilities and resources leads to increased disruptions in the care of these individuals, once again further increasing the impact of COVID-19. Various studies have identified a negative link between cardiovascular and pulmonary health and climate change, as climate change impacts increase, cardiovascular and pulmonary health decline. This decline makes individuals more susceptible to developing COVID-19. It is important to note that as a result of this, given that minority communities are more disproportionately affected by air pollution and natural disasters.
As a result, minorities are more susceptible to the development of this disease as well as the more significant complications arising from it. As well, the transmission of pathogens is not only dependent on the host organism but also the weather conditions, such as rainfall and temperature. This means that the infectious nature of the disease could potentially be further augmented by increased changes in the climate furthering the levels of exposure to the pathogen and increasing the probability of infection.
The second impact of the environment on COVID-19 is less obvious and has to do with biodiversity and food systems. Over the course of human civilization, there has been a trend towards domestication, and pressure on the environment. Increased domestication means that there are large concentrations of animals living in the same area as, or in proximity to, human populations. The increased stress on the environment has resulted in the loss of habitat for wild animals, forcing them to move to where resources are still available, which means they move closer to cities and other human-occupied areas. Both these conditions make it much easier for zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19 to jump species and infect humans as well as increase the rate of transmission.
It is essential that we take action against climate change and pollution, for the good of the planet as well as to reduce the impact of or avoid a pandemic such as the one caused by COVID-19. It is only by addressing the concerns of the environment by decreasing air pollution, habitat loss, greenhouse gases, etc. that the unfortunate situation that is facing citizens worldwide can be avoided in the future.
References:
Comments