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The COVID-19 crisis has paralyzed economies around the world. Large extensions of manufacturing have been idle, and sectors such as aviation and tourism are largely closed. In the midst of all the economic ruin, some have pointed out a supposed positive side: cleaner air. But while it’s true that today’s low air pollution will temporarily save some people’s health, it’s also true that winds are much calmer in the face of a hurricane.
Last year, approximately six million people worldwide died from air pollution from burning fossil fuels. Such pollution is likely to cause almost the same number of deaths in 2020, despite the cleaner air resulting from COVID-19 blockades. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and diabetes. Children who breathe polluted air are more likely to have asthma. And polluted air can also harm pregnant women, resulting in premature or underweight babies.
But we can reduce this increasing cost on our health. As our economies get back on track after the threat of COVID-19 passes, we must implement climate solutions that not only prevent the damage caused by air pollution, but can also prevent the next pandemic.
A recent study by some of my Harvard colleagues provided the first clear evidence that a small increase in long-term exposure to particulate air pollution can significantly increase the chances of someone dying from COVID-19. This effect was evident even after taking into account other factors, such as pre-existing health conditions, socioeconomic status, and access to medical care.
Likewise, other researchers have previously shown that air pollution made people more likely to die from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), another coronavirus. A 2003 study found that someone who lived in a highly polluted area of China was more than twice as likely to die from SARS as someone who lived in an area with cleaner air. Chinese cities with high or moderate levels of air pollution had mortality rates of 8.9 percent and 7.5 percent respectively, compared to a percentage rate in areas with low air pollution. Previous research has also shown that air pollution can accelerate the spread of respiratory infections.
Given this, it is not surprising that communities already suffering from air pollution, often poor and colored communities, have been particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. These populations are now experiencing a double burden: severe disease in the form of COVID-19, in addition to the well-known long-term damage from breathing contaminated air.
All this deepens the existing economic and social injustices. The poorest people are more likely to be laid off during the current pandemic, even in wealthier countries, and they are also more likely to be exposed to the virus.
Governments can help end this vicious circle by accelerating climate action, including by adopting renewable energy and avoiding deforestation. By addressing the factors driving the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, such policies will protect everyone, especially those most at risk.
However, during the current pandemic, some governments have decided to rescue polluting industries and weaken air quality standards. In the United States, federal authorities, citing the COVID-19 crisis, have suspended the application of environmental regulations. And despite the expected impact on the weather, construction has begun on the Keystone XL pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border, while President Donald Trump’s administration recently withdrew fuel efficiency standards from vehicles.
Similarly, South Africa has lowered air pollution standards for coal-fired power plants, allowing them to emit twice as much sulfur dioxide as before. And in Brazil, state protection of the Amazon rainforest, which is already declining before the fire season, has been further weakened as a result of COVID-19 risks, with fewer enforcement agents taking to the field.
Today, governments are rightly focused on meeting the immediate needs of their citizens. But as we begin to rebuild from this pandemic, we must put pressure on policy makers to ensure that structural changes do not reinforce common business scenarios by underpinning polluting industries. Instead, we must improve air quality by expanding renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, and building innovative transportation systems. These measures will save lives, protect communities from pandemic risks, and help ensure a livable climate for our children.
As Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, recently said, “COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the greatest threat. facing humanity in the long term. “She is right, and one of the most effective ways to defend against acute threats like COVID-19 is to address the largest global crisis we face.
Editor’s Note: Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, is acting director of the Harvard T.H. Center for Global Climate, Health and Environment. Chan School of Public Health. Project Syndicate provides the article to The Reporter – the world’s leading source of original opinion comments. Project Syndicate offers incisive perspectives on our changing world for those who are shaping its politics, economy, science and culture. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Reporter.
Contributed by Aaron Bernstein
