NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC- AN ENVIRONMENTALIST VIEWPOINT.

 

After a month or two of the pandemic induced lockdown there were many reports about how the lockdown had positively impacted the environment. The reports claimed air was now cleaner, rivers were less polluted etc. There were videos all over the internet that showed how nature had reclaimed concrete jungles. All of them boost our morale and make us believe that all was not bad about the lockdown at least through an environment point of view. But it is far from the truth. Strictly talking about India let's go through how the pandemic has negatively impacted our environment.

1- RETURN OF SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS - They also go by the name Polythene bag. Before the pandemic we had seen a tremendous progress in controlling the production and distribution of single use plastic bags. Cloth bags became a huge hit and many retailers shifted to them. The future seemed promising. But then COVID happened. From free meals to emergency supplies, everything got wrapped up in polythene bags. Even the government used it mainly due to lack of other alternatives. As the law enforcement agencies were busy elsewhere, plastic slowly creeped back in everywhere. All the progress that we had made has PUFF!! vanished into thin air.

2- INCREASED USE OF DISPOSABLES - Earlier only the street vendors and petty shop owners used disposable plates and cutleries. But with COVID SOP's in place, big restaurants too have started serving on disposable plates. This was a golden opportunity to increase the sale of saal leaf plates and wooden cutleries which would have helped the poor tribal communities. But instead of this the market got flooded with polystyrene and paper plates along with plastic cutleries. All of them are non-biodegradable and go straight into landfills and our oceans.

3- INCREASED MEDICAL WASTE - From PPE kits to disposable face masks and face shields, this pandemic has made them items of daily use. Their demand is so high that to avoid supply disruption, government pulled in the self help groups (SHG) and even army to manufacture them. Their use is important and unavoidable. There is also a lack of green alternatives. But still we can reduce the impact by ensuring their proper disposal so that they do not impact the environment and spread the infection further.

4- INCREASED USE OF PRIVATE VEHICLES- The modes of public transport are yet to return to normal capacity. Apart from this the people too want to avoid crowded places and hence they avoid using public transport system. This has increased the number of private vehicles on the road. This change is apparent from worsening traffic situations in major Indian cities. Traffic is not the only problem, more private vehicles on road means more air and noise pollution. Increased air pollution has also lead to thick smog in the cities.

5- REDUCED RECYCLING- In India we have a chain of rag pickers who play an important role in recycling our waste. The lockdown was a challenge for them. Most of them relocated. Thus, the entire system has collapsed. People also do not allow traders who collect old newspapers into their houses due to fear of transmission. This has affected local paper bag manufacturing as they now lack raw materials. This problem has also lead to increased clutter on roads and increased amount of recyclable wastes reaching the landfills.

All of our lives have been impacted by lockdown. Some people have suffered more than others. This has also affected our environment. It revealed that the positive changes we had witnessed before all this began was not able to bring a change of mindset for the citizens. If it had, those green habits would have stuck. For now we can only hope things get back to normal soon and plastic ban is re-imposed strictly. But this time it should not only be limited to fear of fine. It should induce a change of mindset so that the habits become a lifestyle. This is important not just for us but also our planet to survive. 

Inspired about minimalism? Check out my other blogs too. I hope I can convince you to live more minimally and mindfully..