Plastic pollution of our oceans who turns the tide?

Geography has played a very important role in the fight against Covid-19 through Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Using data has been a key component for scientists understanding the spread of Covid-19 across the globe. This image from The Johns Hopkins University shows the initial spread of Covid-19 across the world as of 5 March 2020. It illustrates how the initial outbreak of the virus was in Mainland China, but then spread into Europe and America, with countries such as Italy being badly hit during the initial stages of the pandemic.

Source: The Guardian

This image shows East London’s Victoria Park on a sunny April day where temperatures rose into the mid-20 degrees Celsius at their peak. During lockdown many people flocked to local parks, with inner city areas proving to be a popular destination for many, as they enjoyed the unseasonal warm weather that greeted us during spring 2020. However, during the warmer months, overcrowding of green spaces led to the closure of some local parks, as well as some tourist hotspots such as the Lake District National Park.

New Delhi. 30 March 2020 (during lockdown) Source: Staff/Reuters/Newscom

During 2020 the India Gate served as an image to show the positive environmental effects that lockdown has had. A sustained period of human inactivity, with a reduction in industry and transport, meant that air pollution fell in many major cities during corona virus lockdowns. There was a significant drop in traffic related emissions, particularly nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide and particulates. New Delhi has consistently been one of the most polluted cities in the world with the first image demonstrating the clear extent that the smog had on the city’s landscape. However, during its national lockdown New Delhi experienced the greatest fall in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of 60% from 2019 levels. This meant that photographers were finally able to appreciate the India Gate in its finest light, with significantly less smog present in the air, giving way to what is a truly extraordinary feature. On the other hand, ozone levels actually increased during lockdown, because nitrogen oxides would usually remove some ozone from the atmosphere by reacting with it. This meant that the health benefits brought by a decrease in nitrogen dioxide were offset by an increase in ozone levels.

This lockdown proves cleaner air is possible but shows just how complex and challenging it will be to achieve. These changes brought about by lockdown were also relatively small scale and short lived as air quality rapidly deteriorated again in the autumn and winter months during India’s pollution season. This indicates that a great deal more must be done to tackle air pollution and climate change.

Source: Mind/the mental health emergency

The effects Covid-19 and lockdown have taken a huge toll on the nation’s mental health, with the number of people experiencing severe mental illnesses increasing

Royal College of Psychiatrists). Mental health has often been overlooked in the past but is now becoming of increasing global concern with a mental health crisis on the horizon. During lockdown certain groups have been affected disproportionately; young adults (18-24) and vulnerable groups, such as people will pre-existing mental health issues, people experiencing social deprivation and people with disabilities, have been hardest hit.

Regional differences in how lockdown has affected mental health highlight the impact that socio-economic factors have. The South-West of England, where one in 10 people previously worked in food and hospitality, has been the hardest hit by Covid job losses according to ‘Orka’, and the unemployment rate has risen from 3.1% at the start of 2020 to 3.8% in September 2020. This has resulted in people in the South West of England feeling the most worried.