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Katrina Campos and Zoe Sabbert
Need to add links to keywords and links to citations in the text. The first two sections have great support via citations, but the last section could use more support from sources. Need to add information (alt text and caption) to image. Also need to check citations. Some seem to be incomplete or lacking links.
Introduction
Whether it be educational, social, or economical, COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives in one way or another. Naturally, the impact extends to the environment as well. Prior to the pandemic, society was in an environmental crisis due to the effects of certain innovations in science and technology, which were implemented without any consideration of their detrimental effects. Therefore, in the early stages of the pandemic, many experts were excited to see the positive environmental impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns, such as a reduction in air pollution. However, as the pandemic continued, negative developments began to arise, including an increase in waste and expanded use of chemical disinfectants.
Connection to STS Theory
The world was already in an environmental crisis before COVID-19 hit. Although the pandemic initially had a positive influence on the environment, it brought about more harmful consequences as time went on. This trend demonstrates “Path Dependency,” the idea that past decisions created a structure in our society that influences future decisions. In the case of this global pandemic, past decisions made by society have had severe repercussions which have worsen as countries continued efforts to control the spread of the disease, and in doing so, make decisions that directly and indirectly harm the environment.
Reduction in Air Pollution
One major positive environmental impact of COVID-19 has been the reduction in air pollution. As many countries implemented widespread lockdowns, climate experts predicted that greenhouse gas emissions could drop to pre-World War II levels. These experts were right, as seen in Europe where government-issued lockdowns led to a reduction of greenhouse gases from decreased automobile use. These reductions were not limited to Europe. In China, the concentration of NO2, which is emitted from the burning of fossil fuels (USEPA, 2016), was reduced by 22.8 μg/m3 (Zambrano-Monserrate et. al 2020), an estimated 10-30% reduction in concentration(Nigam et al., 2021), due to strict traffic restrictions. In addition to contributing to greenhouse gas build up, NO2 is also known to cause acid rain and respiratory diseases in humans (USEPA, 2016). Similar findings were recorded globally, including a 100% reduction in carbon monoxide levels in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Nigam et al., 2021). New York also saw significant changes in air quality, with nearly a 50% decrease in levels of air pollution due to lockdown measures (Henriques, 2020). Many countries implemented travel bans, which also contributed to the reduction in air pollution. In fact, the number of