A new type of coronavirus pandemic scares the world, but as usual, nothing is just black. The current situation can also have its pros.

Of course, this is not an easy situation and in many ways it is a negative phenomenon, but there are also positive impacts. Which?
Measures

A number of countries have taken vigorous measures to combat the spread of the new COVID-19 disease by reducing the movement of people, reducing traffic, closing down businesses of all kinds, banning travel or going out. Only quarantine, according to experts, seems to be an effective measure against the current threat, which of course has a number of consequences, but besides the negative ones are the positive ones, consider yourself.
Positive impacts
Less emissions and fewer casualties

First, look at the positive effects. Although it may sound crazy at this time, the restriction of people traveling around the world and the associated restrictions on air and mass transport of cross-border movement of persons, together with shutdowns in industrial production, has one positive effect. It is a reduction in air pollution, as the reduction of greenhouse gases into the air is also reduced thanks to the dampening of transport and industry. There is already a noticeable reduction in emissions around the world. An example could be China, which, according to the Greenpeace movement, has, together with India, the most cities with air polluted by dust microparticles, which can cause premature death.

According to Greenpeace, 90% of the 200 cities in the world face extremely high levels of air pollution in China and India. And if you think the impact of emissions on human health seems small, then you may wonder. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 7 million people worldwide die every year due to air pollution, such a number of human casualties bring just air pollution. According to the WHO, atmospheric pollution requires 48,000 lives in France each year, around 100,000 in the United States and over a million in China.

An example with emissions from China and Italy

China

How is China doing now? It should first be recalled that China is the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide (CO2). China was the first country where the new disease COVId-19 appeared. The country has taken vigorous measures, and to stop the spread of the virus, the government has quarantined Chinese cities. At the same time, however, it reduced domestic air transport (which, for example, fell by 70% in February compared to the previous month), public transport and also closed factories. Without being specifically targeted by this country, all these measures contributed to an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

A study published on Carbon Brief showed that a reduction in coal and oil consumption due to the new type of coronavirus led to a 25% reduction in emissions in China in the first half of February in a comparable period, equivalent to about 6% of global emissions. According to evidence from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, coal consumption in power plants has fallen to the lowest level in the last 4 years and steelmaking production has been at its lowest level in the last 5 years in the last 14 days. Current country measures, which include stopping production plants or noticeable restrictions on transport, are clearly having a major impact on reducing emissions, and even if this is likely to be short-lived, it will still save many lives. However, it is unlikely that such a lower-emission situation will last even after the country has resumed its production. On the contrary, it is quite possible that after the crisis, production will increase and so will CO2 production.

Italy

How is Italy doing now? In Italy, measures have also been put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus, leading to a significant improvement in air quality, experts from the European Copernicus environmental monitoring program said. According to experts, the changes occurred most in the north of Italy, which is now one of the world's most affected coronavirus pandemic sites. Copernicus experts found that in an area in northern Italy, which normally has dense surface pollution with nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide concentrations have started to decrease by around 10% per week over the last 4-5 weeks. Copernicus experts see the link between emission reductions in Italy and quarantine measures (such as reducing transport and industrial activities) in Italy.

People approach and different perspective

Another possible positive that some restrictions may bring is the awareness of citizens in what good conditions they actually lived before the spread of the disease. Of course, this is especially true for democratic countries where people are free and can normally do what they want. Under normal circumstances, people can go where they like and travel, wherever they want, buy what they want, and so on. Perhaps it is thanks to the current situation that people will learn not to waste food and other things, which would not hurt at all. And, for example, when traveling, many people may now realize that this is not such a vital thing to live and can live without, as crowd tourism is often too excessive, unnecessary and harmful to the environment by carrying a large number of people.

Basically, people from developed countries have gone to a time where there are no restrictions and they can do everything, and if there is a restriction at that time, people will lose what they actually lost. The question is whether we are accustomed to too much welfare and whether it is time to think about what we can do without and what we do not. If you compare the importance of health and life with other aspects, you will find that they are irrelevant. It is good to realize that there are still countries (especially those with a totalitarian regime or poor countries) that are not nearly as good and have some limitations as a routine. Moreover, in times of crisis, these countries may experience far greater impacts than developed countries.

In times of crisis, among other things, people will also have more time for their loved ones, their hobbies, and will finally be able to relax. Also, everyone will have more time to think about everything. Also, people will probably appreciate health and all that is now being denied after this experience. Another thing that may come in handy is the fact that in the future people will have experience with similar crisis situations, and so in the next crisis there will be no such panic among people. As they say, everything is good for something and a negative situation will strengthen you. So don't hang your head and don't panic at the moment