When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown measures for 1.3 billion populations on March 24, there were nearly 182 billion people under lockdown around the world. During this time people across the globe started to experience the harsh reality of a lockdown in order to fight Covid -19. However, as weeks passed by, the world took notice of a sudden decrease in air pollution. This was majorly due to the stoppage in industrial activity and movement of people, resulting in reduction of carbon footprint.
The stringent lockdown measures witnessed a rejuvenation of nature and various ecosystems, including urban environments which rediscovered natural beauty.
According to new data obtained by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air that leads to 7 million deaths every year. Out of these 7 million, 90 per cent of air pollution related deaths are caused in low to middle income countries located in Asia and Africa. The Indian scenario is not very promising as it has 7 out of the world's 10 most polluted cities in the world.
These numbers also paint a very grim picture of the natural world. The imposition of lockdown has made us realize the importance of nature in our day-to-day living. This realization has been possible through the tangible improvements that can be seen around the world, including India. Reduction in air pollution in northern India, spotting of dolphins in the Ganga river after 30 years and the increase in the number of flamingos in Mumbai are some small examples of improvement of nature during the lockdown period. In a city like Delhi where on an average the air quality index hovers around 200, numbers seem to have drastically decreased to 20.
In Punjab, people living in the city of Jalandhar woke up to the beautiful sight of the Dhauladhar mountain range located in Himachal Pradesh. On a global level as well there have been reported improvements in air quality. Studies have revealed a reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution by 60 per cent in China, USA and Western Europe.
According to the International Energy Agency, lower emissions will reduce a harmful greenhouse gas emission which is responsible for climate change. The 8 per cent fall will be the largest fall in emissions in history since 2010. We are not only witnessing a decrease in air pollution, but noise pollution too is on the decline. Since the lockdown, waking up to the chirping of birds has been a surreal experience. Often, the beauty of mornings is masked by either honking or movement of vehicular engines. But for the last couple of months I have been able to wake up to peaceful mornings, devoid of traffic or working of factories. It feels as if the city we are living in has suddenly become more breathable, peaceful and quiet.
In a market dominated by cheap coal, providing incentives are important to reduce the price of generating renewable energy. In recent times, India has set an ambitious 175 GW energy target through renewable sources to be achieved by 2022. However, due to the Covid - 19 there is a high possibility that certain projects and planned auctions will be either cancelled or delayed. Therefore, prior to the country being reopened for business as usual, the Government must ensure that the procedures in setting prices or construction of grid infrastructure or land acquisition are streamlined in order to avoid further delay. The spread of the virus has triggered an unprecedented worldwide response composed of rigorous social distancing as well as ambitious economic dole out packages and, for a while, has eclipsed all other crises, including climate change. This is the moment for the mobilization against the climate crisis. If the world waits for climate change to trigger an impact similar to Covid - 19, it will be too late. Given the threat of climate change on human society and the economy, action to curb climate change should already be underway. Climate change will have increasingly dramatic effects on poverty, inequality as well as the wellbeing of humans and the ecosystem.
(Dr Samanta is MP, Kandhamal, and founder, KIIT & KISS)