In
the current scenario, the Covid 19 is a wake-up call to protect planetary
health.
It
is presumed that as humans continue to infringe on animal habitat and the
interaction between humans and wildlife as a result, frequent causes of such infectious
diseases are occurring which can induce environmental degradation.
As
per WHO 2020 “COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory and vascular disease and is
currently an ongoing pandemic which has already infected about 63 million
people world-wide and resulted in 1.5 million deaths as of late November
2020.”
With
the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unprecedented repercussions, have
clearly shown the implications of infectious diseases on not only human health
and well-being but also on economies and employment even in remote
locations.
Studies
revealed that the COVID-19 virus causes a respiratory problem to an individual
which may be influenced to the extent of air pollution. Absorption of the COVID-19 virus on airborne
dust and particulate matter from air pollution could also a factor to contribute
long-range transport of the virus.
The urban pollution, habitat destruction and role of climate change are the solely factor of spreading Covid-19.
Lockdown
Lockdown
is a good step to destabilize the channel of spreading the virus of Covid-19,
though it is a temporary respite for the environment.
As
most of the countries followed lockdown and social distancing, it has been
noticed that environmental parameters showed an improvement as pollution levels
decreased, energy use dramatically reduced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
fell.
It
seemed like good news for the environment due to the recorded decrease in
pollution due to national lockdowns but that does not mean that climate change
is slowing down. Concentrations of carbon dioxide, the gas that is primarily
responsible for trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, are up from 413 parts
per million this time last year to 416 parts per million now.
Plastic
Usage
One can understand the global waste crisis and its magnitude from the radical growth in the manufacturing and production of PPE kits which the pandemic has necessitated in the past many months. Countries such as India with less waste management capacities have also been producing PPE kits.
According
to estimates by WHO, frontline workers, on a monthly basis would need 89
million medical masks, 76 million examination gloves, and 1.6 million
goggles.
During
the pandemic period, we have seen a great demand, production and usage of
plastic. Products such as disposable
wipes, cleaning agents, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, and masks, PPE kits
being sold and thrown away in unprecedented volumes. As a consequence, the waste generation
resulting GHG emissions and reveals how we disregard and inattention to
environmental implications when dealing with emergencies.
It is found that 50% of the countries are
conducting more than 10,000 tests per day and lack of stringent regulations and
failure to systematically dispose of testing kits will not
only increase the risk of infection but also increase plastic pollution. It leads to ecological hazards and the
government should take sustainable pathways while dealing with the Covid-19
crisis.
Waste
Disposal
Generally,
protective materials such as gloves, masks, or expired medicines used by the
masses are disposed of together with domestic waste and garbage. The United
Nations Environment Program’s recommendation is that the population should
separate these materials and points out that the safe handling of biomedical
and healthcare waste is essential for the health of the community and the
integrity of the environment. It also
suggests that local authorities assign municipal operators for the collection
or specialized waste management since waste management can lead to an intensifying
crisis which could cause a rebound effect.
On
the International Day for Biological Diversity, the UN Secretary-General,
Antonio Guterres stated: “COVID-19, arising from nature, has highlighted the
intimate connection that exists between human health and our relationship with
the natural world.”
Biomedical
waste generated by hospitals and by self-care, such as medical packaging and
contaminated masks, gloves, and used or expired medicines must be properly
handled by management and if it is mishandled will jeopardize the environment
and human health.
Now,
it is a huge challenge for the waste management industry to manage and handling
of plastic waste due to reduced recycling activities in this period. If safety issues are not adequately
addressed, human health can be put at high risk.
Ocean
Pollution
Globally,
it is known that all polluting materials find the ocean as their final
destination. In the context of COVID-19,
research conducted by the World Economic Forum showed that waterlogged masks,
gloves, hand sanitizer bottles, and other biomedical and self-care waste were
already found on beaches and seabeds in Hong Kong which can be detritus in the
marine ecosystems.
It
is to be considered that any activity carried out on land will have a
significant effect on the ocean–coastal region, threatening not only the health
of the great ecosystem but also the biodiversity of the marine environment.
To
link freshwater to the ocean a Global Environment Facility Program has been
started known as the Global Program of Action under the auspices of the United
Nations Environment Program. The main thrust of the program is to establish the
link between basins and coastal management, particularly in areas affected by
the quality, use, and availability of fresh water.
Inequalities
The
COVID-19 pandemic not only reminds the world of declining planetary health but
also bring infuriate inequalities and vulnerabilities and expel the myth that
“everyone is in the same boat.” Inequalities
in terms of lack of safe housing and inadequate access to affordable food
aggravate the risk of respiratory conditions, heart diseases, and diabetes. Unequal access to affordable healthcare is
another barrier.
As
Oxfam’s Interim Executive Director Chema Vera said, “COVID-19 is the last straw
for millions of people already struggling with the impacts of conflict, climate
change, inequality and a broken food system that has impoverished millions of
food producers and workers. Meanwhile, those at the top are continuing to make
a profit: eight of the biggest food and drink companies paid out over $18
billion to shareholders since January even as the pandemic was spreading across
the globe—ten times more than the UN says is needed to stop people going
hungry.”
Recommendations
- Factoring climate change in planetary health is essential.
- A systems-level approach from companies and governments on a global scale is required.
- Balancing the COVID-19 response with wider health needs to prevent.
- Each local or municipal authority needs to develop risk-based contingency plans.
- Businesses should invest more in sustainable innovation
Conclusion
To
deal with planetary health approaches multiscale issues should be related to
environmental quality and human well-being.
Lack
of measures adopted by governments in addressing this unsurmountable issue. To overcome the pandemic, we cannot ignore
the larger picture of long-term environmental and humanitarian consequences.
To
maintain the balance of social equality.
According to the study carried out by United Nations Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean and UNDP, the main consequence of COVID-19
pandemic will be a “profound social inequality, distribution of long-term
resources and equal opportunities in different dimensions,” the latter two
presenting themselves as great challenges to face.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call, and the government must take active and visionary leadership which embrace a safer planet and a promise of improved health for all.
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