Hyderabad: Although the 21-day nationwide lockdown was imposed with the intention of curbing the spread of novel coronavirus, it has also led to a dramatic reduction in the country’s ever-increasing pollution levels generated mainly due to construction activities and vehicular traffic.
The move of bringing a country of 1.3 billion people to a grinding halt has led to 23 cities registering ‘good' air quality while 65 others recorded ‘satisfactory’ air quality, out of 103 cities where air quality was recorded, according to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory air quality.
Air Quality Index is an assessment of the air quality by taking into account different factors. The lower the AQI the better the air is considered to be.
According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the impact of the measures taken due to the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a drop in PM2.5 (fine particulate pollutant) by 30 per cent in Delhi and by 15 per cent in Ahmedabad and Pune.
The level of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) pollution, which can increase the risk of respiratory conditions, has also reduced. NOx pollution is mainly caused due to high motor vehicle traffic.
In Pune, NOx pollution has reduced by 43 per cent, in Mumbai, by 38 per cent and in Ahmedabad, by 50 per cent. Gufran Beig, a scientist at SAFAR, said generally in March, pollution is in the "moderate" category (Air Quality Index range: 100-200) while presently, it is in the "satisfactory" (AQI 50-100) or "good" (AQI 0-50) category.
These figures are significant considering the fact that India accounts for 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, according to the IQAir AirVisual's 2019 World Air Quality Report.
This phenomenon, however, is not unique to India, as a similar dip in pollution levels has been witnessed across the globe.
According to new satellite data released by the European Space Agency (ESA), air pollution from nitrogen dioxide has fallen by an estimated 40% in three European cities as the continent witnesses a plunge in pollution-causing activities.
It is in this context that the World Economic Forum (WEF) has put forth five suggestions to address the global climate change crisis.
In a statement released recently titled “How COVID-19 might help us win the fight against climate change“, the WEF has made the following proposals:
- Re-think risk:
It took an unfolding disaster (outbreak of coronavirus) to prompt governments, businesses and individuals to act at the scale that they did.
“Climate change poses a major and similar threat to human lives and urgently requires a comprehensive response,” argues WEF.
A study published in the medical journal the Lancet predicts 500,000 adult deaths caused by climate change by 2050.
If the pandemic teaches us to acknowledge our vulnerability to high-impact shocks such as pandemics and climate-related disasters, we will be infinitely better placed to prepare for them.
- Listen to global perspectives:
The truly global nature of the COVID-19 crisis is forcing us to recognise that we are all in this together. For example, China sending help to Italy represents more than just shifts in the geopolitical landscape; it also shows an overcoming of the sense of “other,” and an acknowledgement that events in one part of the world can affect us all.
The jury is out on whether COVID-19 will prompt the world to choose the route of national isolation or global solidarity, but a growing understanding that we are inherently connected to people in vastly different geographies and circumstances can help build momentum for strong climate action.
- Make people the top priority:
The response to COVID-19 has seen the plight of patients, medical staff and other vulnerable groups skyrocket to the top of the agenda of individuals, businesses and governments alike. Many individuals are re-arranging their lives to practice social distancing, offering elderly neighbours help with their chores and volunteering in health facilities and food banks, showing the power that can be unleashed when we are united behind a common cause.
Businesses are re-directing their production lines to provide medical and hygiene supplies, offering free access to their online platforms and supporting their employees in a number of ways, such as increasing their wages, highlighting how agile they can be in responding to critical needs. And governments are committing trillions to help those affected by coronavirus, in what looks like a “race to the top” in providing the most comprehensive support to their citizens.
All this shows that a large-scale response to a global crisis is possible. We need to harness this wave of compassion and proactivity to protect vulnerable people in all contexts, including those most exposed to climate impacts.
- Trust experts:
As the significance of the pandemic has dawned on us, the value of knowledge has become increasingly clear. The advice of epidemiologists has gone viral (we've all seen the “flatten the curve” meme), and doctors have been held up as heroes. This might represent a turning point in a trend towards the demise of experts. We need to listen to climate scientists and policy advisors to win the climate change fight too. A greater trust in experts of all types takes us in the right direction.
- Make a cultural shift:
Many aspects of the COVID-19 response are similar to the types of changes we need as part of a comprehensive climate-change response. What is interesting is that many necessary shifts just require a change in culture.
For example, neither the surge in cycling and expansion of bike lanes in Bogota as citizens avoid public transport, nor the coronavirus work-from-home experiment, have required any new technology, but instead have relied on new thinking. It is clear that we have many of the tools to make major advances in addressing climate change; what we need now is the political will to apply them.
Much remains uncertain about what the world will look like when we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the fundamental societal changes we are witnessing may well offer us a final chance to avoid a climate catastrophe.
If considered, the suggestions made by the global economic body would go a long way in combating the climate crisis looming large.
