The Coronavirus Pandemic has forced our modern way of life to come to a halt – the busy nature of commuting and travel, office work, shopping and leisure activities has been swapped for online working, shopping and learning, indoor exercising and virtual conversations. The impact on the environment of lockdown has been beneficial on the surface level; restricted travel has reduced related emissions, and subsequently helped move the EU much closer to its 2020 emissions targets. Air and noise pollution have both decreased during lockdowns. However, looking forward, particularly with expectations of looser COVID-19 restrictions, this decline in pollution will require much heavier policy.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) had estimated that global energy demand in 2020 could fall by around 6%. The European Environment Agency (EEA) thus suggested that by keeping demand and GDP low, the EU could further reduce emissions and lower energy usage. However, if countries begin to open up restrictions, and encourage shopping, dining out, and supporting the economy, the demand of the population is likely to rise, as confidence regrows towards a more ‘normal’ level. Aggregate demand and GDP will begin to rise, along with energy usage and travel pollution. Therefore, some believe that the ‘new normal’ should involve a continued lockdown lifestyle, working from home and avoiding travel whenever possible, to benefit environmental targets.
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality-and-covid19/air-quality-and-covid19
See the EEA’s Air Quality Tracker
Whilst many people would happily prefer to work from home, largely those working demanding ‘city’ office jobs, working unknown hours into the night, or workers with children to care for at home. The expositive survey of first year workers at Goldman Sachs demonstrates a highly stressful, physically tiring and abusive working environment, which had caused survey participants to consider therapy and sleep 5 hours a night. This demonstrates a certain lifestyle of some workers who can not escape from the constant high stakes of the workplace, and thus being prevented from entering the tormenting working environment by the Coronavirus would come as a blessing. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/palashghosh/2021/03/18/goldman-sachs-first-year-analysts-face-100-hour-weeks-abusive-behavior-stress-survey-says/?sh=2130a9c87c28).
Despite this escape from the physical environment, technological links to the office surround workers at home, and can prevent people from taking enough time off, and away from digital workplace pressures. Job stress has thus followed many people home, due to this lack of separation. Anxiety and stress over being furloughed and uncertainty of employment, particularly within small businesses, has also become a much more common occurrence. (https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/job-security-more-valuable-to-employee-retention-than-pay#gref).
Other workers have no choice but to go to work, particularly lower paid workers, e.g. in supermarkets, and physical labourers, putting lower economic status groups more at risk of COVID-19, particularly those in overcrowded accommodation. (https://www.eea.europa.eu/post-corona-planet/covid-19-and-europes-environment#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20affecting%20people’s,the%20EU%20as%20a%20whole.)
The lockdown isolation has been detrimental to the mental health of the majority of the population, but due to inequalities in access, or feeling unable to speak out, many people are not receiving the care they need. (https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/03/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health-inequality-and-how-to-get-help/). Domestic abuse reports have been increasing over the COVID-19 period, (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/domesticabuseduringthecoronaviruscovid19pandemicenglandandwales/november2020) and extended time isolated at home can cause tensions with cohabiters, or cause loneliness for people who live alone. These mental health problems, along with general distraction in a home and ‘relaxation’ setting not only prevent ‘productive’ work, but prevention from socialising, doing outdoor activities, exercising effectively, and experiencing new and interesting environments, can cause people to feel that they have little to work for.
For many, working from home, and lacking full freedom to experience different environments and activities, seems like a dystopian future of a ‘virtual’ reality. Particularly for younger people, for whom the internet and social media are used for entertainment and socialising, the lack of separation from the ‘false’ dimension of the internet and online school can be very demotivating. The physical presence and community of being in a school is vital in building real connections and learning, whereas online school can be limiting in its ability to engage and encourage students. It can be all too easy to close the tab on the screen to escape from real life problems and consequences. On top of this, personal tutoring and technology are not accessible to all pupils, and the anxiety and uncertainty of potentially applying to university, and taking exams is heightened under the circumstances of COVID-19.
Though the lockdowns have shown slight and temporary improvement for some environmental aspects, it is clear that the progress is limited to a very small amount. Personal Protection Equipment and health related disposable items, along with general product packaging, have had a significant impact on the amount of consumption of single use plastics. As low demand for oil caused its price to drop, manufactures began to purchase and transform the cheaper oil into plastics rather than recycling used plastics. (https://www.eea.europa.eu/post-corona-planet/covid-19-and-europes-environment#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20affecting%20people’s,the%20EU%20as%20a%20whole.)
By ensuring that people stay at home more often to reduce emissions and noise pollution, further job and businesses losses and lessened productivity will continue, and confidence in the economy will reduce potential purchasing, resulting in a recession. In this instance, it is likely that consumers would switch to poorly produced, environmentally and ethically damaging products. Consumer confidence is one of the most unpredictable aspects of sustaining the economy, environment or social wellbeing. For the world to recover in the most beneficial way, it is vital that populations feel safe, encouraged, and able to freely choose whatever they wish to spend their time doing.
With the UK COVID-19 vaccination scheme, the country hopes to be back to the ‘new normal’ soon. This hope of soon going back to the pub, to the shops, to the gym and to work/school has given a boost of encouragement to the population. In time, this should reanimate the economy and restore employment to a sustainable level. Restricting the population from travel to work or activities after lockdown, even for the sake of the environment, would likely reduce confidence, happiness and productivity once again. Perhaps the evidence found by the EEA should be read as suggesting that the need for cleaner travel and vehicles is the most important thing to change in society. However, should emissions targets be cast aside temporarily for the sake of sustaining consumer confidence? Should taxes be raised to cover the cost of the Coronavirus, and the environment, or should they be lowered to encourage the population to continue spending to support each other? Is now the best time financially to push for environmental policy reform and focus? The choice must be made, once again, whether to preserve humanity, or the environment in which we live, but what point is there in preserving the world when we are prevented from enjoying it?
Though COVID-19 has shown humanity’s potential to change, the change was not one of choice. Many suffered job losses and worsened mental and physical health problems, endured abuse, and lost loved ones without an opportunity to say goodbye. Humanity can learn to live alongside nature, through government and business policies, but we have not evolved to be locked away from nature for its partial and temporary protection. Without money, we can not pay to recycle, preserve conservations, or develop electric cars. We now have important responsibilities in conservation and global enforcement of ethical and environmental practices. Humanity has developed an appreciation for the earth, and being prevented from experiencing nature freely over lockdown has (hopefully) awakened a shared urgency to preserve the environment, and not take it for granted again.
Sustainability without the Boring Bits 