Coronavirus: Are we masking the truth about its effect on the climate crisis?
There have been good news stories all over the world in recent weeks; communities coming together to support vulnerable, musicians streaming online shows for fans, fundraising events for struggling charities, and online sessions for just about every hobby you can think of. In Japan, there has been romance over loo roll, and maybe most bizarrely: an obsession with live-streams of construction has emerged in China, yep… Cement mixers have become celebrities… (I’ll leave you to google ‘forklift porn’ in your own time).
As more and more people around the world are self-isolating, this is a welcome break for the environment too, animals are returning to habitats, the air is cleaner and biodiversity has been given a chance to recover as the rest of the planet’s ecosystem has been given a brief moment to heal.
I want to make clear from the start here though, this is not another one of those good news stories, read on with caution.
This isn’t the first instance in modern times that the world has come together, the images of 9/11 shook everyone across the globe, there was the SARS outbreak in the early noughties and very recently the horrific bushfires in Australia brought aid and concern from all around the planet. But this pandemic is on a different scale and it has spread across the world with unstoppable force.
From my makeshift ‘office’ with new colleagues, formerly known as housemates, I have been buoyed by the sense of community that has spread throughout the UK and the world. This ever-growing pandemic has allowed a lot of us lucky enough to be safe and well inside our homes to stand back and reflect*. Unfortunately, though, not everything is as rosy as it seems. In fact, it’s pretty ugly.
*massive shout out to those with much more time than they’d prefer with the horrible consequences of business shutdowns and unemployment.
Covid-19 vs. Climate Crisis
In the last couple of years, the climate crisis and the urgency for sustainability and less plastic use has taken centre stage across the world, but the Coronavirus displays the potential to press the emergency stop on the movement, effectively placing it into the equivalent of the junk drawer — you know the one, it’s where you put old pens, a post-it note from 3 years ago, those miscellaneous screws and approximately £1.27 in change.
There have been major issues concerning people adhering to self-isolation and social distancing rulings, with a large portion of the population still not following government advice, and of course, these issues should take precedence in flattening the curve of infection and Covid-19’s impact on the NHS. But what this crisis has illuminated is the environmental concerns and consequences that have arisen too.
Of course, it’s undeniable that a silver lining of the virus — if there can be one, has been its dramatic effect on the world’s carbon output and air pollution levels, evidenced perfectly by these satellite images from around the world. But it cannot be overlooked how, in the past few weeks, we have also witnessed the destructive and damaging aspects of human behaviour; greed and selfishness, and it has shown who the real enemy can be in these situations; ourselves.
what we try to protect is not actually our lives, but our lifestyles. — Colin Horgan
As Coronavirus has spread through each country, this image of empty supermarket shelves has been a familiar sight. The first casualties of the panic…? Toilet roll, cleaning products, hand wash and hand sanitiser.
The chemicals commonly found in ‘conventional’ cleaning products such as bleach, household sprays, washing-up liquid and detergents present known or suspected health problems for many people that use them and alongside this, their elusive toxic ingredients have a hugely detrimental effect on the environment once washed down the drain or thrown away.
How does this all affect the planet?
The phosphates contained in these products cause the eutrophication of rivers and other bodies of water, which is depleting them of oxygen, put simply: the chemicals we allow to flow into the aquatic system (our rivers and then the sea) cause extreme levels of nutrients and minerals which in turn leads to excessive algae growth and, ultimately, much lower water quality for everything that inhabits it.
Yet, from the beginnings of self-isolation and quarantining, these items were first to fly off the shelves. Of course, the chemicals are not the only problem here, each of these products is packaged within single-use plastic. Plastics made from crude oils and natural gases — the planet’s precious and finite raw materials.
It has been stated time and time again that a bar of soap is far and beyond the best solution to stop the spread of the virus, so why the rush for every cleaning product under the sun?
Unfortunately, as Colin Horgan writes, the buying frenzy suggests that what we try to protect is not actually our lives, but our lifestyles. While these products clearly aren’t necessities for survival, they seem to provide a form of mental protection for people in developed societies.
Worrying signs in worrying times?
Face masks and hand sanitiser have been selling out instore and online. With face masks, in particular, there is little proof that it provides any protection from the virus. It is feared by many that masks being sold commercially, which are non-recyclable, will be a real threat to the environment in the same way straws and bottles have been highlighted in recent years, the real impact of this waste has already started to be discovered on the beaches of
Hong Kong.
Understandably, face masks can offer psychological benefits in terms of peace of mind but in this particularly pandemic there is a real lack of education about their use. Just think, if there wasn’t the scramble from the public for these items then health facilities across the world wouldn’t be experiencing such shortages and crying out for donations. It is clear that panic has spread just as much as the virus itself.
Last week, Starbucks, followed by many other cafes, announced that in light of Covid-19 they were stopping use of both personal cups and their own drink-in mugs. An article published recently by Wired said what “might have been considered environmentally virtuous now invokes the same kind of germophobic response as a public coughing fit”. It’s worrying for a practice that is one of the most accessible ways for someone to directly contribute to climate action; one that prevents energy and resource being used to make new materials and diverts stuff from landfills and oceans. it’s a movement that has spawned shops all across the country and a plethora of books and blogs in the last couple of years, but it now faces an uphill battle. Ethical habits like this, formed over many months and years, face the reality of being forced back to square one because of fear.
Many have argued against these policy changes. Bea Johnson, the author of Zero Waste Home, states: “with disposables, you have no idea who has touched it. With your own reusable you do!… Being afraid of a reusable is as ridiculous as being afraid of Corona beer”, and she has a valid point.
- There is a fantastic bulk finder app on the Zero Waste Home website too!
These are challenging times for eco-businesses
Sadly, there have been other casualties, and there is likely to be many more; Terracycle have delayed the launch of their online store Loop, which sells groceries and household items in reusable packaging that shoppers return once empty. After successful trials in France and Northern America, Loop was all set for launch in the UK this month. There is also worry for small eco-businesses and start-ups; in these challenging times, it is going to be a major financial fight for them to survive.
The Coronavirus has unearthed and churned up many environmental challenges we will have to face up to, some of which I’ve raised in this article. When the dust settles we have to respond. We must learn, we must change, and we must prepare.
It is likely that, as the world’s population increases, international travel continues and temperatures rise, we should ready ourselves for more instances of pandemics like this one in the future. This means we need to adapt, we need to move away from our ‘current’ and into a ‘new’.
In lockdown there is opportunity
To end on a more optimistic note, we have an opportunity here. Yesterday we joined most of Europe in entering a lockdown environment, this is now a key chance to educate, change behaviours and challenge norms. It is a moment for people to learn and test new habits and adapt their purchasing behaviours. Whether it’s how to make your own household cleaning products, or supporting amazing eco brands such as OceanSaver. You could research and try reusable nappies, finally make that switch to a menstrual cup, or in this time of much higher usage invest and switch to renewable energy providers like Octopus.
Though it may not seem like it right now, this virus will be contained and brought under control, though the same cannot be said for the climate crisis. When, and it will be when, life goes back to some form of normality, we must capitalise; we need to learn from the problems that have been brought to light during this time, the behaviours that we as a society are displaying because you know what? it’s not working and it’s not sustainable. There has to be more education around sustainability, education around plastics and chemical use, and guidance on the benefits of bulk buying items such as toiletries, groceries and cleaning products. Importantly, we must buy local and environmental groups and eco startups need to be properly supported.
If we do these things, if we learn to switch perspective and be prepared, we will be in a much better position during the next pandemic, because it is not a matter of if this happens again, it is a matter of when.
If you would like to discuss anything in this article or maybe you just want to open a conversation, please do.
