Coronavirus Is Not All Bad News — Not for The Planet At Least

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken over humanity claiming thousands of human lives but reviving natural resources around the world. From uncontaminated water in Venice’s canals to air quality in China, the environmental gains from this tragedy has benefited millions of plant and animal species.

Even humans — those of us who survive the pandemic — might have gained a few extra years on the planet.

A recent analysis conducted by Marshall Burke, an Environmental Resource Economist at Stanford University, suggests that cleaner air in China, achieved from the lower industrial pollution levels after the lockdown was imposed, has potentially saved more lives than Coronavirus has consumed. 

The coronavirus pandemic has had an unexpected side effect in Venice—where the normally cloudy canals have transformed into water crystal clear enough to see fish swimming below. https://t.co/qrr8iphSPd pic.twitter.com/37H7iiB09Y

— ABC News (@ABC) March 18, 2020

"Given the huge amount of evidence that breathing dirty air contributes heavily to premature mortality, a natural - if admittedly strange - question is whether the lives saved from this reduction in pollution caused by economic disruption from COVID-19 exceeds the death toll from the virus itself," Burke wrote.

Another warning circulated by scientists suggest that cities already impacted by high levels of air pollution might be suffering worst under the coronavirus outbreak. 

 Although the situation in China seems more relaxed now as people return to normal lifestyle, Burke highlights that the two months of pollution reduction saved the lives of 4,000 children under 5 and 73,000 adults over 70 in China — far higher than the death toll of around 3200. 

#EverydayHero Ricky Mena and his wife Kendall who dressed up as Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen have visited more than 16,000 sick children in hospitals to encourage them. pic.twitter.com/2lyEI89ozq

— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) March 20, 2020

In Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak outside of China, images of crabs, swans, and cormorants 

returning to Venice’s canals have recently gone viral. In reality, the clear blue water is not necessarily a direct cause of decreased pollution levels.

“The water is blue and clear,” Gloria Beggiato, who owns the celebrated Metropole Hotel, only a block from St Mark’s square with a view of the famous Venice lagoon, told the Guardian. “It is calm like a pond, because there are no more waves caused by motorised boats transporting day-tripper tourists. And of course, the giant cruise ships have disappeared.”

The disappearance of the usual boat traffic has led to clearer water in Venice, Italy.

But the outbreak has definitely directly resulted in less pollution in one way or the other.

 "The air, however, is less polluted since there are less vaporetti and boat traffic than usual because of the restricted movement of residents," a spokesman for Venice mayor's office told CNN. 

Another resident, Matteo Bisol, who owns the vineyard restaurant Venissa on the tiny lagoon island of Mazzorbo, has been campaigning for a sustainable tourism model for Venice for years. 

“If you ask me today – sunny blue skies, clear canals – then, yes, we would all like Venice to stay like this for a while. But we need, and look forward to, the return of tourists, though maybe not the 20 million a year that we have had to cope with,” Bisol told the Guardian. 

“I honestly believe we should take the opportunity of this lockdown to reflect and see how we can be more organised in the future to find a balance between the city and tourism.”