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COVID-19 and the Environment

Publié: 11 Jan 2021

Produits chimiques et pollution | Nature | Économie verte | COVID-19

ODD3 | ODD12 | ODD15

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that affects everyone. Various articles have been published in the past weeks on the environmental causes and the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This page aims at listing relevant information, research, data and/or press releases issued by our partners in Geneva and other institutions around the world.

All United to End the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that affects everyone.

As mentioned by the UN Secretary General in his call for solidarity, “We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives.” He also added “We must ensure that lessons are learned and that this crisis provides a watershed moment for health emergency preparedness and for investment in critical 21st century public services and the effective delivery of global public goods. We have a framework for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We must keep our promises for people and planet.”

For general reliable information on COVID-19, please consult:

United to end the pandemic, get information from additional reliable sources:

COVID-19 and the Environment

Various articles have been published in the past weeks on the environmental causes and the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This page aims at listing relevant information, research, data and/or press releases issued by our partners in Geneva and other institutions around the world.

Other resource pages on COVID-19 and the environment:

GENeva Environment Dialogues‘ series special COVID-19

Origins of COVID-19 and Prevention

While the origin of the outbreak and its transmission pathway are yet to be asserted, we know diseases passed from animals to humans (zoonotic diseases) are on the rise, as the world continues to see unprecedented destruction of wild habitats by human activity. “Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis” according to the UN’s environment chief, Inger Andersen and other environmental experts.
According to IPBES report released in October 2020, future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, do more damage to the world economy and kill more people than COVID-19 unless there is a transformative change in the global approach to dealing with infectious diseases. The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment. Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people.

Chemicals and Waste Management

In this section: Chemicals & Waste Negotiations | Waste Management | Plastic and Reusable Items | Exposure to Hazardous Substances

Chemicals & Waste Negotiations

Waste Management

With COVID-19 pandemic continuing to spread, national and local governments are urged to treat waste management, including medical, household and other hazardous waste, as an urgent and essential public service in order to minimise possible secondary impacts upon health and the environment.

Plastic and Reusable Items

The fight against plastic pollution is being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the use of disposable masks, gloves and other protective equipment soars. Plastic does not inherently make something clean and safe. Experts are proposing to bring back the bring-your-own-cup scheme. UN agencies and partners insist that, if effective measures are put into place, the amount of plastics discarded every year can be significantly cut, or even eliminated.

Exposure to Hazardous Substances

Hosing down migrants and workers with bleach to ‘disinfect’ them is a ghastly and inhumane practice to combat COVID-19, said UN Special Rapporteur on toxic wastes. The Special Rapporteur appealed to States and businesses on the dire need to protect the brave doctors, nurses, first responders, and others on the front lines in this fight.

Biodiversity and Wildlife

In this section: Impact on wildlife | Biodiversity Crisis

Impact on Wildlife and Conservation

COVID-19 is having an impact on animals. Great apes, of which seven species are already threatened by extinction, are potentially vulnerable to this new virus. Lockdowns and the loss of tourism revenue also create challenges for protecting wildlife. The cost of COVID-19 to zoos could mean extinction for the 77 species of plants and animals (at least) that are extinct in the wild and exist only in zoological and botanical collections.

The Biodiversity Crisis

2020 was expected to be ‘Super Year for Nature,’ with a number of international meetings and negotiations (World Conservation Congress, UN Ocean Conference, UN Nature Summit and other preparatory meetings) leading to a global biodiversity conference that would agree on a decade-long ‘Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework’, and the acknowledgment of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and additional benefits. Their postponement brings worries as we are loosing critical time to address the biodiversity crisis.

Air Pollution

Researchers found that air pollution has intensified the pandemic. But the lockdown and related measures implemented by countries to stop the spread of COVID-19 have also led to a decrease in economic activities and drop in road transport, temporarly cleaning skies and decreasing levels of certain air pollutants.

Climate Action

The UN Climate Change Conference COP26 set to take place in Glasgow in November will be rescheduled for 2021. COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term, said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries. This means that the world is committed to continued climate change regardless of any temporary fall in emissions due to the Coronavirus epidemic, reminded WMO Chief, Petteri Taalas.

Green Recovery / Greening Economies

Leaders and experts around the world are calling for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.

Sustainable Finance

Signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking show the positive role they can play by employing a wide range of measures to respond both to the direct health crises and to the wider economic impacts.

Push back on Environmental Laws

While lobby associations rightly point to the significant challenges posed by an unprecedented global health crisis, some have explicitly call for postponement of environmental laws or loosening regulations that limit emissions from their facilities. In countries facing pressures on indigenous territories, the lockdowns are reducing the abilities of local communities to patrol.

Water and Sanitation

The spread of COVID-19 is closely related to water and sanitation, as cleaning hands can reduce the transmission and help people stay healthy. But today billions of people still lack safe water, sanitation and handwashing and funding is inadequate.

Oceans and Blue Economy

The global lockdown measures have led to a decrease in fishing, tourism and maritime transport activities. For some, this can be seen as an opportunity to ensure a sustainable development of these industries while recovering.

More on COVID-19 and the Environment

Environmental leaders, experts and institutions around the world have been issuing statements and other useful information.