Dear Humans,
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic around the world, most of you are locked in your own homes. Activities previously deemed as a norm such as shopping and dining out with your friends currently seems unreachable. With the quiet roads, empty buildings and airports, the world seems to be at a pause. For once, my skies are clear and my water is clean again. In Singapore, NEA reports that NO2 levels have dropped drastically from 27ug/m3 to 17ug/m3 (Tan, 2020). Albeit the improved conditions of pollution at the surface, the skyrocketing participation in online shopping has been brought to my attention. On your devices at home, online shopping has been a new norm of the COVID-19 pandemic. Is this better or worse for the environment?
Online shopping trends
During the Circuit Breaker, Singapore had to close barber shops and retail outlets as they were considered ‘non-essential’. Hence, beauty products were one of the popular purchases during that period. With the closure of barber shops, hair clippers were frequently bought. Also, face masks and pimple patches were highly favoured. According to Economist Lee, he states that the trend of online shopping is here to stay. As new users become accustomed to online shopping, they will find it increasingly convenient and continue to shop online (Ng, 2020). Are we heading in the right direction?
Air pollution & COVID-19
COVID-19 is transmitted through human respiratory droplets and close contact. However, it has been recently hypothesized that the virus can also be transmitted through particulate matter and aerosols (Lau, 2020). Hence, areas that are heavily polluted are likely to be more susceptible to the spread of the virus (Kanniah, 2020). From the final report of CREA, it is concluded that high levels of air pollution weaken the body’s natural defenses against airborne viruses like COVID-19 (Urrutia-Pereira, Mello-Da-Silva, & Solé, 2020). Thus, no matter how small the risk is, it should be tackled immediately.
(Source: Unsplash, 2020)
Therefore, it is vital to think about the consequences that you are causing just by a click of a button at home. Is it really more environmentally friendly to turn digital? Although it seems like the skies have cleared, is it really a better alternative? In my next post, I will be utilising your carbon footprints to weigh the consequences of online shopping compared to shopping physically at a mall.
Tense vibes,
Mother Nature
References:
How Air Pollution Contributes to the Spread of COVID-19. (2020, September 10). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://earth.org/air-pollution-exacerbating-the-spread-of-covid-19/
Huiwen, N., & Chen, S. (2020, October 02). How Covid-19 is changing what Singaporeans shop for online. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-shopping
K.D. Kanniah, N.A.F.K. Zaman, D.G. Kaskaoutis, et al., , Science of the Total Environment,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142200
Tan, C. (2020, May 05). Coronavirus: Air quality improves as Singapore slows down under circuit breaker measures. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/coronavirus-air-quality-improves-as-singapore-slows-down-under-circuit-breaker
Technology Networks. (2020, April 21). How is Air Pollution Impacting COVID-19 Fatalities? Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/how-is-air-pollution-impacting-covid-19-fatalities-333696
Urrutia-Pereira, M., Mello-Da-Silva, C., & Solé, D. (2020). COVID-19 and air pollution: A dangerous association? Allergologia Et Immunopathologia, 48(5), 496-499. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2020.05.004