In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus turned the world upside down. Streets emptied, schools closed, shops shut their doors and businesses shifted to remote work, almost overnight. The human toll has been massive and catastrophic; with the pandemic still ongoing it's hard to say what the full impact will be. In addition to the human costs, there have been huge environmental effects. 

Immediate Benefits

You've probably seen pictures of crystal clear canals in Venice, or wildlife wandering through quiet, empty streets. You may also have seen analysis of how quickly the pollution around Wuhan cleared, when everyone was required to shelter in place. There is no denying that there have been immediate and dramatic benefits for the environment. A reduction in commuting means an overall reduction in emissions and with a lot of factories closing their doors, there has also been a noticeable reduction in pollution and energy use. Travel bans around the world mean that airplanes are not dumping greenhouse gasses directly into the atmosphere. However, a full stop to these activities is not sustainable, nor is it likely to last very long. 

Immediate Drawbacks

Additionally, you cannot pretend that there have not also been drawbacks. There has been a decrease in everyday traffic overall, but a dramatic increase in deliveries of everything from basic essentials to emergency supplies as millions of people stop going to the shops and start ordering online. This means an increase in waste from packaging materials and delivery vans. In the short term, this is a relatively small detriment, but it could have long term effects. 

Long-term Benefits

It's hard to say what the long term effects of coronavirus may be, partially because it's unclear how long the crisis will last, and whether it will recur. A one-off event will have a very different effect than something that becomes seasonal, like the flu. Even a one-off can have significant impact, however. The decentralization of the workforce for safety and health may have ripple effects of decentralization elsewhere. For example, instead of having lots of workers traveling from different communities come to a central power station to keep the lights on, it may be more beneficial to have a decentralized system of solar panels in Chicago, New York, Sacramento and elsewhere. 

Long-Term Drawbacks

While decentralization and social isolation can help to reduce the spread of a pandemic, it also makes buying local paradoxically less easy. If you can't go to the local stores for fear of spreading Covid-19 to your friends and neighbors, you're going to order online and have that item delivered instead. That delivery then has to be passed through many pairs of hands, and be put on a truck, and brought to you from potentially very far away. All of that creates waste and pollution. Buying local is still one of the best things you can do for the environment, but a pandemic makes that potentially hazardous to your health. 

Potential for Change

The full impact of this pandemic has yet to be seen, but you have likely already seen massive changes in your everyday life. Going back to normal simply may not be possible at this point. After all, the current situation only exists because of the old norms. If the old standards of travel, hygiene, healthcare and everyday life don't change in pretty fundamental ways, the vulnerabilities won't change either. There is not only great potential to change, but great incentive to make sweeping, fundamental changes; those changes could dramatically affect the environment.

Most news focuses on the human costs and this post had focused on the environmental effects but the truth is that there is no separating the two. Humans are part of the environment, and anything that affects humanity affects the environment too. Prioritizing one or the other, implying that the two things are somehow separate or that in order for one to thrive the other must suffer is a false dichotomy. Humanity and the environment are essentially linked;  if one is suffering, so is the other.