Covid-19, Environmental Engineering and the End of the World as We Know it
Artur Pawłowski
Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, ul. Nadbystrzycka 40B, 20-618 Lublin (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-1534
Abstract
Covid-19 stopped the World. When all humanity is worried about their health, is there still any room for technical sciences and environmental engineering? In this work, It will be proved, that the answer is yes. Major challenges, such as climate change, are still valid. In addition, being in a quarantine still we have access to clean water and electricity. Without these goods, our lives in these conditions would be much harder. Investments in renewable energy sources are still being carried out.
Covid-19 will not bring the end of the World as such, but the end of the World as we know it. Some sectors of the economy (tourism, public transport, in particular air transport) may cease to exist and the service sector will face a deep recession. This means a gigantic economic crisis and retraction of the World development many years back.
Keywords:
coronavirus, Covid-19, epidemic, environmental engineering, global crisisReferences
AGARAJAN S., 2020, China's economy suffers its first contraction in 28 years, shrinking 6.8% in an 'extraordinary shock' to the global economy, in: Business Insider.com, https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-falls-first-quarter-2020-after-half-century-growth-2020-4?IR=T.
Google Scholar
ALI S., How the current coronavirus pandemic links to questions of ecological sustainability in the Anthropocene?, in: Springer Nature Sustainability Community, https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/users/183121-saleem-ali/posts/63681-how-the-current-pandemic-links-to-broader-questions-of-sustainability-in-the-anthropocene.
Google Scholar
ANDOLU Agency, 2020, Has Sweden's different COVID-19 response paid off?, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/has-swedens-different-covid-19-response-paid-off/185 7605.
Google Scholar
CHOWDHURI R. De, 2020, Cyclone Amphan hits India and Bangladesh, https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/20/weather/gallery/cyclone-amphan/index.html.
Google Scholar
EEA, 2020, Air pollution goes down as Europe takes hard measures to combat coronavirus, https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/air-pollution-goes-down-as.
Google Scholar
EIA, 2019, Electricity information. Statistics, https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/722cdfb8-a938-43d6-ad99-1fbf3e53bf8e/Electricity_Information_2019_Overview.pdf.
Google Scholar
EC (European Comission), 2018, 2030 climate & energy framework, Brussels.
Google Scholar
FUKUYAMA F., 1992, The end of history and the last man, Free Press, New York.
Google Scholar
GATES B., 2015, Gates Notes, We’re not ready for the next epidemic, https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/We-Are-Not-Ready-for-the-Next-Epidemic.
Google Scholar
GAWOR L., 2008, Globalization and its Alternatives: Antiglobalism, Alterglobalism, and the Idea of Sustainable Development, in: Sustainable Development, 16(2), p. 126-134.
Google Scholar
GORE A., 2017, An Inconvenient Sequel, Rodale Books, Emmaus.
Google Scholar
Healthline, 2020, As Many as 80 Percent of People with COVID-19 Aren’t Aware They Have the Virus, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/50-percentof-people-with-covid19-not-aware-have-virus.
Google Scholar
HENIG R.M., 2020, Experts warned of a pandemic decades ago. Why weren't we ready?, in: National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/experts-warned-pandemic-decadesago-why-not-ready-for-coronavirus/.
Google Scholar
IEA, 2020, The largest decline in global energy investment in history, https://www.iea-coal.org/thelargest-decline-in-global-energy-investment-in-history/ (1.06.2020).
Google Scholar
IRENA, 2018, Renewable Energy Jobs Reach 10.3 Million Worldwide in 2017, Press Release, https://www.irena.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2018/May/Renewable-Energy-Jobs-Reach-10-MillionWorldwide-in-2017.
Google Scholar
IQ AIR, 2020, Report: Covid-19 Impact On Air Quality In 10 Major Cities, https://www.iqair.com/blog/air-quality/report-impact-of-covid-19-on-global-airquality-earth-day.
Google Scholar
IG AIR, 2020, World's most polluted cities 2019 (PM 2.5), https://www.iqair.com/world-most-polluted-cities?page=1&perPage=50&cities=.
Google Scholar
MAHASE E., 2020, Covid-19: death rate is 0.66% and increases with age, study estimates, https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1327.
Google Scholar
MPH on line, 2020, Outbreak: 10 of the Worst Pandemics in History, https://www.mphonline.org/worst -pandemics-in-history/.
Google Scholar
PAWŁOWSKI A., 2011, Sustainable Development as a Civilizational Revolution. Multidimensional Approach to the Challenges of the 21st Century, Taylor & Francis Group, CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, New York, Leiden.
Google Scholar
ROPER W., 2020, Predicted Unemployment Higher Than Great Depression, https://www.statista.com/chart/21329/highest-unemployment-rates-ever/.
Google Scholar
SALAY J., 1997, Energy, from fossil fuels to sustainable energy resources, Baltic University Press, Uppsala.
Google Scholar
SOBUNIEWSKA M., 2020, Czy koronawirus jest dobry dla środowiska?, Klub Jagielloński, https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/05/22/czy-koronawirus-jest-dobry-dla-srodowiska/.
Google Scholar
UN, 2015, Sustainable Development Goals, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300.
Google Scholar
SCIENCE Daily, 2013, New long-lived greenhouse gas discovered: Highest global-warming impact of any compound to date, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131209124101.htm.
Google Scholar
UNDP, 2017, Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy, https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-developmentgoals.goal-7-affordable-and-clean-energy.html.
Google Scholar
UNGER F., 2013, Address to the Members of European Academy of Science and Arts, European Academy of Science and Arts, Salzburg.
Google Scholar
WASSERSTROM J., 2020, China’s response to coronavirus exposes a dangerous obsession with secrecy, in: The Guardian, 5 Febuary, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/05/chinaresponse-coronavirus-obsession-secrecy.
Google Scholar
WCED (World Commission on Environment and Development), 1987, Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, New York.
Google Scholar
WHO, 2020, Cumulative number of confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) reported to WHO, https://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/H5N1_cumulative_table_archives/en/.
Google Scholar
WHO, 2020, Cumulative Number of Reported Probable Cases of SARS, https://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/2003_07_04/en/.
Google Scholar
WHO, 2020, Hiv/Aids, https://www.who.int/gho/hiv/en/.
Google Scholar
WHO, 2020, Ebola virus disease, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease.
Google Scholar
WHO, 2017, 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation, https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/12-07-2017-2-1-billion-people-lack-safe-drinking-water-athome-more-than-twice-as-many-lack-safe-sanitation
Google Scholar
WIKIPEDIA, 2020, Template: COVID-19 pandemic data, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:COVID-19_pandemic_data.
Google Scholar
WOJCIECHOWSKI K.H., 2006, Niemierzalne składniki krajobrazu, in: Współczesne problemy ochrony krajobrazu, ed. Kucharczyk M., ZLPK, Lublin, p. 17-23.
Google Scholar
WORLDOMETER, 2020, Current World Population, https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/.
Google Scholar
WORLDOMETER, 2020, Coronavirus Cases, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/.
Google Scholar
Authors
Artur PawłowskiLublin University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, ul. Nadbystrzycka 40B, 20-618 Lublin Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-1534
Statistics
Abstract views: 15PDF downloads: 13
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
