Policy Briefs
A Double-Edged Sword: The Impact of Covid-19 on the Environment
No.
PB 77
Publisher
ERF
Date
May, 2022
In a nutshell:
- The COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the largest economic shocks to world economies in recent decades. Its negative effects on income losses, rising unemployment, declining consumption, mental health deterioration, and increased domestic violence have been documented.
- Despite all the negative economic, social, and health-related consequences, COVID-19 offers an opportunity to causally identify and quantify the effect of economic activity on the environment.
- Due to the lockdowns, improvements in the levels of greenhouse gas emissions and air and surface water quality may be expected. In this study, we causally examine the effect of reduced mobility and economic activity on the environment.
- Our results demonstrate that ambient air quality has significantly improved following the announcement of the first COVID-19 case and the consequent precautions implemented in Turkey.
- Statistically, particulate matter (CO, NO2, and NOX) concentrations significantly declined, while O3 and SO2 concentrations remain unchanged.
- We also provide suggestive evidence that water pollution has diminished during the lockdown period.
- Our results quantify human-induced environmental pollution and magnify the need for designing policy alternatives that harmonize sustainable growth objectives with public health and environmental concerns.
Authors
Mevlude Akbulut-Yuksel
Professor of Economics, Dalhousie University
Research Fellows
Belgi Turan
Associate Professor, TOBB University of Economics and...