ABSTRACT
The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was extended to 213 countries globally by August 2021. The world has been threatened by rising infection rates and emerged as the catastrophic event in the field of health and triggers the international emergency panic button. COVID-19's sudden arrival wreaked havoc on the world economic picture, particularly in the energy sector. A steep drop in oil prices, as well as an imbalance in energy, was the result of strict travel restrictions, fewer transportation options, and people's fears of a flu pandemic. However, confined mobility and a drop in energy demand coated the environment with a silver line and drowned the nation's economic opportunities. Industrial transport, and not to mention every conventional energy-related thing, is completely devastated, but renewables were immunized. Wind, solar, hydrothermal, hydrogen, biomass-based energy systems were on high gear yielding maximum results in counterbalancing the demand-supply chain. Moreover, the pandemic created an opportunity to showcase the importance of renewable energy and tackle the difficult emergency like now. In addition to this, the mindset of the investors was slowly fading away from conventional fuels and shifting towards renewable energy. However, it is too early to state the booming renewables at the moment, and no idea about its long-time survival. Thus, the present review gives a clear picture of the current status of fossils and renewables, the impact of a pandemic, energy investments, government policy standings, threats, and opportunities, and finally, the key takeaways avoiding energy scarcity in once a lifetime disaster situation.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) originated in China has now covered around 213 countries globally. It has posed health calamities which have threatened the world with the emergence. Owing to the number of confirmed cases still rising every day, it has now become a phase of an international health emergency. Sudden outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought global declines in the commodity process. This has majorly affected the demand as well as supply of the commodities. The oil market has been severely affected due to the outrageous collapse in the demand majorly due to travel restrictions which has also caused the steepest decline in oil prices. The prices of both precious and industrial metals have also fallen, although the price drop is less than that of oil prices. The agriculture industry is one of the least affected so far by this pandemic due to its indirect relation with economic activities. However, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 pandemic will greatly depend on the severity and duration of its outspread, but it is expected to have long-lasting implications.
ABSTRACT
Microbial toxins pose a significant threat to the natural environment and all forms of life on planet earth. These biological organisms, such as enzymes, viruses or fragments wreak havoc on the environment and pose a health risk. Toxicity from bioaerosols has a negative impact on human life, causing acute adverse reactions, various types of illnesses, and carcinogenic disorders, among other issues. Although various aspects of bioaerosols have been studied, such as identification, quantification, dispersion, and epidemiology, bioaerosol research is still in its infancy, particularly in terms of understanding anthropogenic behavior. Most of the studies identify the negative impact of bioaerosols, albeit epidemiological evidence remains equivocal. Further, the regulatory enactments and legislative mechanisms for bioaerosol surveillance have yet to be implemented ineffectively in both developed and developing countries. In this overview, we evaluate the pathways and challenges of bioaerosols, highlight gaps in bioaerosol epidemiology, and discuss the public health implications of exposure to complex ecosystems. We also provide an overview of the current state of bioaerosol research, including sampling and enumeration procedures, qualitative and quantitative modeling, global statutory policies, and potential future approaches to addressing the challenges.
ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-00934-4.].