Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association
Engineer Abdul-Amir Al-Jazaf: The state of the environment has improved globally during the Coronavirus crisis.
Engineer Abdul-Amir Al-Jazaf, Vice President of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, confirmed that the state of the environment has greatly improved globally in light of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. He explained that many entities, institutions, and industrial companies that previously caused air pollution have stopped working, especially in major industrial countries, which has led to the overall environmental improvement process.
Engineer Al-Jazaf explained that, through adherence to government instructions, many countries around the world suspended or significantly reduced many of their various activities, which led to environmental improvement and recovery processes throughout the world. He pointed out that “what is happening is a self-cleaning process of nature and the environment itself, and this is joined by the cessation of direct individual human intervention due to curfews or warnings about social distancing and the prevention of gatherings, which stopped all manifestations of violations, transgressions and environmental violations. Consequently, the atmospheric, terrestrial and marine environments began to recover little by little, according to what has been circulated in videos around the world about the spread of wildlife in places that did not allow its existence due to human activity and what it includes in terms of industrial activities and others.”.
He added that “there are many environmental aspects, including reducing air pollution levels and raising awareness among residents about staying in their homes, which has led to these results and sound environmental behaviors that help maintain their safety and the safety of environments, habitats, and environmentally sensitive sites.” He pointed out that, in addition to reducing pollution hotspots and environmental violations, it is important to emphasize that the world’s continued continuous environmental monitoring of air pollutants and tightening control over their potential sources has demonstrated an improvement in air quality.”.
In this regard, he pointed out that many international reports adopted by prestigious environmental research and studies centers indicated that the spread of the new coronavirus caused a reduction in energy demand and industrial production in industrial countries, citing “China as one of the most polluted countries in the world, which in turn led to a decrease in the rate of carbon dioxide emissions by about 100 million metric tons, which is equivalent to the amount emitted in China almost annually.” He mentioned that a scientific analysis by the non-profit climate organization “Carbon Brief” confirmed that the impact caused by the new coronavirus is widespread, and includes travel restrictions, long vacations and low economic activity.
The Vice President of the Environmental Association stated that “the other side of the Coronavirus is providing a great service to the environment, as the decrease in demand for oil and coal has led to a decline in thermal emissions during the past period, which indicates the possibility that the Coronavirus can play an important role in preserving the environment and reducing climate change.” He pointed out that “the numbers show a decline in emissions of greenhouse gases that are harmful to nature on the planet. In industrial countries, which are the largest contributors to climate change globally, the rate of carbon dioxide emissions declined last month after governments implemented strict lockdown measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. The lockdown measures led to the closure of factories and the disruption of the transportation sector, as well as a decline in global air traffic, in addition to a decrease in oil consumption, which supports the decline in harmful carbon emissions.”.
