Environmental Footprint of Covid-19 in India: Short Term ‘Green Effect’ but Long Run Pitfall

Abstract

The outset of novel coronavirus namely SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 first came into the limelight in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and was soon declared a ‘global pandemic’ by W.H.O. in March 2020 after realizing its highly infectious and transmission capability and its potential to develop severe pneumonia-like respiratory infection amongst the humans. This declaration along with the rising number of COVID-19 infected cases and deaths globally led to the complete locking down of countries and cities, thereby limiting all unnecessary human movement and activities by way of imposition of strict measures to control and minimize the spread of the virus. This study reveals that this sudden halt of all major activities and movement resulted in providing a much needed temporary short-term relief to the environment from excessive exploitation at the hands of humans which has caused alarming levels of environmental pollution and GHG emissions, particularly in India. However, on the downside, it has also added a substantial burden on the environment by creating a panic-like situation leading to more than usual waste generation and an enormous challenge of its effective management and disposal which is most likely to persist in the longer run. On the whole, this review points out that years of damage done to the environment cannot be undone by although crucial but short-term relief resulting from such a temporary halt of activities. In the wake of this situation, an attempt has been made to discuss the future challenges that lie ahead of us and recommend possible solutions based on a holistic integrated planning approach which is the need of the hour to tackle the pertinent issue.