The coronavirus is spreading around the globe like wildfire. A disease, which causes breathing problems, has already affected millions of people, and a cure seems far away from being found. As a preventative, countries are taking drastic measures, including closing schools and businesses or limiting their working hours. Even though it can be challenging to see any benefits, there are some which do help the environment.

Pollution caused by cheap manufacturing

Countries like China have been releasing large amounts of pollution into the atmosphere for decades. As a country which relies on manufacturing for income, it wasn’t too long ago when workers had to wear face masks to avoid breathing in the fumes. More recently the imposed restrictions have helped to reduce these levels (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2020/03/16/coronavirus-lockdown-may-have-saved-77000-lives-in-china-just-from-pollution-reduction/).

So why is cheap manufacturing also bad? It can often mean that items are more likely to break and end up in the landfill as they aren’t able to be recycled. Since the coronavirus outbreak, the demand has been less (https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/economic-paralysis-coronavirus-slams-brakes-china-economy-200316030817713.html). Something else to consider is the positive impact of planes being unable to fly to complete the supply and demand chain.

Economising and saving supplies

The shortages of products in supermarkets has been both a good and a bad thing. On the downside, people have been panic buying. But, for others, finding everyday items like bread and toilet rolls for the majority of people has meant that economising is a priority. The fear of items being out of stock has also meant that reusing everyday items that would otherwise have been discarded is more common.

Increased purchasing from local shops

Supporting businesses helps local communities to grow and support the environment. Transporting food and goods from a distance creates noise and fuel pollution. Most countries have relied on exporting goods, especially fruits and meat products. Imposed restrictions on travel and avoiding large gatherings have meant local shops are being used allowing them to grow. The coronavirus has enabled people to see how useful their local groceries are. Before this, some wouldn't have stepped foot inside the shop.

If you have been directly affected by the coronavirus it might have been difficult to see its benefits. However, there are advantages environmentally. The lack of waste products have helped to keep endangered species alive, reduced pollution has helped countries to come to a step closer to meeting their yearly targets for emissions (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/climate/nyt-climate-newsletter-coronavirus.html), and consumers are now becoming more aware of reusing goods instead of relying on factories.

Image by coyot via Pixabay