Initial Long-Term Scenarios for COVID-19's Impact on Aviation and Implications for Climate Policy.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on aviation in 2020, and the industry's future is uncertain. In this paper, we consider scenarios for recovery and ongoing demand, and discuss the implications of these scenarios for aviation emissions-related policy, including the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Using the Aviation Integrated Model (AIM2015), a global aviation systems model, we project how long-term demand, fleet, and emissions projections might change. Depending on recovery scenario, we project cumulative aviation fuel use to 2050 might be up to 9% below that in scenarios not including the pandemic. The majority of this difference arises from reductions in relative global income levels. Around 40% of modeled scenarios project no offset requirement in either the CORSIA pilot or first phases; however, because of its more stringent emissions baseline (based on reductions from year 2004-2006 CO2, rather than constant year-2019 CO2), the EU ETS is likely to be less affected. However, if no new policies are applied and technology developments follow historical trends, year-2050 global net aviation CO2 is still likely to be well above industry goals, including the goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2019, even when the demand effects of the pandemic are accounted for.

Insects and food security in South Africa in the light of climate change

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating socio-economic effect on the country, including the death of more than 102 000 people, many of whom were the breadwinners of their families. This could not have happened at a worse time, since the economy of the country was in a recession even before the pandemic. The situation is exacerbated by the highest level of unemployment in the world, widespread nepotism and corruption, the plundering of state coffers and the favouring of the business interests of BRICS partners by government officials over those of South Africans. The government's commitment to prioritising their BRICS partners' business interests over those of the South African people contributes to food insecurity in South Africa. This includes the export of coal from mines in Mpumalanga to China and India, while nothing is done to rehabilitate the region, which was once known for its agriculture. The government handed over to the Chinese company SAEMB the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, where four opencast mines, a 3 300 MW power station and an iron smelting plant will be developed. This development, however, requires the government to build a dam that will harvest 60% of the annual runoff of the Limpopo River, which in turn will have a devastating effect on farmers and communities downriver in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique who irrigate their crops with water from the Limpopo River. The same kowtowing of the South African government to its BRICS partners can be seen in the reluctance with which the government responds to the plundering of our marine resources by Chinese fishing boats and abalone smugglers. The unfair competition imposed on local chicken farmers by distributers of dumped chicken, mainly from Brazil, with the approval of government, caused the closure of several South African chicken farms and the resulting loss of tens of thousands of jobs along the supply chain. The reluctance of the government to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine war is partly linked to the fact that South Africa imports fertilizer and wheat from Russia. South Africa, a water-scarce country, is more vulnerable than many other countries to the effects of global climate change. The abnormal rain pattern, that is characterised by severe droughts in certain regions and heavy rainstorms and floods in others, has a devastating impact on the already economically struggling South African community. Abroad, attempts are made to ensure that mean temperatures do not exceed the pre-industrial level mark by more than 1,5 degrees C. South Africa, however, heats up twice as fast as many other countries, and has already exceeded the pre-industrial era level by more than 2 degrees C;it will continue to get warmer and drier, causing most of the country to become desertified by 2050. A third of South African rivers do not reach the sea anymore because of over ion of water from rivers;similarly, there is extensive ion of groundwater. Together farming and forestry account for 70% of water use in South Africa. This over ion of water, worsened by the heat and aridification resulting from climate change, led to the degradation of most wetland and estuarine ecosystems and the drying and burning of irreplaceable peatlands. These political, socioeconomic and environmental calamities create the worst possible scenario for food security in South Africa. Already one in four people in Africa suffers from food insecurity and this number will rapidly rise in the wake of global climate change, which will result in the loss of two thirds of arable land by 2025. South Africa is nearing socioeconomic collapse. This, in conjunction with continuing droughts, storms and rising temperatures associated with global climate change, will lead to food insecurity, starvation and anarchy. The effect of global climate change will make it progressively more difficult to produce enough food for the South African population. It is imperative that South Africans consider alternative methods of food production, including water use. Entomophagy is widely practiced throughout the world, but is especially prevalent in South America, the Far East and Africa, where approximately 2 billion people use 1 900 species of insects as food. The nutritional value of insects is unsurpassed and, in some respects, even more nutritious than meat. The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens are a source of high-quality proteins and unsaturated fats that are used worldwide as animal feed. Insects are a source of minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, zinc and magnesium and high levels of vitamin A, B 2 and C. The ecological and socioeconomic benefits of using BSF larvae instead of grain as feed for fish, chickens and pigs are enormous. BSF larvae can be bred almost for free by feeding it a wide variety of organic waste, including rotten vegetables and fruit, manure and even carcases that would have ended up in rubbish dumps and would have contributed to the methane and carbon dioxide pollution emanating from such dumps. The water use of BSF is negligible, because the water in the organic waste that would have been discarded in waste dumps is sufficient to sustain them. BSF affords the subsistence and small-scale farmer the opportunity to raise chickens at a lower input cost than ever before. The conversion of feed to food in insects is far greater than that of chickens, pigs or cattle. In the case of the house cricket (Acheta domestica) the conversion rate of feed to food is twice as effective as that of chickens, four times as effective as pigs and twelve times greater than that of cattle. Compared to conventional farming, this implies that with insects far more exceptionally nutritious food can be produced in a smaller area, with little water and no poison or fertilizer whatsoever, while waste and the associated methane gas are removed from the environment at the same time. A few South African companies have already seen the potential of insects as food and feed. Even though insect farming is still in its infancy, it is already generating jobs and new socioeconomic opportunities in South Africa. Insect farming, especially BSF farming, will in the near future probably grow in popularity all over the world as an affordable, healthy, ecologically sustainable alternative food source that will, directly or indirectly, be consumed by humans. BSF afford the environmentally conscious homesteader who wants to produce livestock such as chickens, fish, or pigs in a sustainable manner an unsurpassed environmentally friendly alternative. BSF will also give the desperate, impoverished and starving population of the future an alternative free source of feed that will offer them economic prospects and food security.

Energy Demand Trends during COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic lock-downs have led to the biggest fall in energy demand in over 70 years while also having an immense effect on the current energy mix. This study overviews the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the UK energy demand by analysing the associated electricity generation mix before and during COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis uses open-access data that is publicly available on the Official Carbon Intensity API for Great Britain. The scope of this paper is two-fold: first, to provide an overview of the lock-down measures in electricity demand and generation across the world, and second to identify the impact of lock-down restrictions on the British energy generation mix. It can be seen from the results that electricity generation by fossil fuels and renewable energy sources has shown opposite trends while the share of the later increased significantly during the lockdown period.

The intersection of environmental justice, climate change, community, and the ecology of life

This book examines and encourages the increasing involvement of those in the social sciences, including social work, as well as everyday citizens, with environmental injustices that affect the natural ecology, community health, and physical and mental health of marginalized communities. The authors draw on their diverse experiences in research, practice, and education to suggest interdisciplinary strategies for addressing environmental justice, climate change, and ecological destruction on both a local and global scale. This insightful work presents models for action, practice, and education, including field learning, with examples of how programs and schools have integrated and infused environmental justice content across their curricula. Environmental and ecological impacts on local communities as well as the whole ecology of life are examined. Models for engaging civic dialogue, addressing structural oppression, and employing other interdisciplinary responses to environmental injustices are provided. Topics explored among the chapters include: Water, Air, and Land: The Foundation for Life, Food, and Society;Human Health and Well-Being in Times of Global Environmental Crisis;Power and Politics: Protection, Rebuilding, and Justice;Pathways to Change: Community and Environmental Transformation;Decolonizing Nature: The Potential of Nature to Heal;The Intersection of Environmental Justice, Climate Change, Community, and the Ecology of Life equips readers to identify the impact of the global environmental crisis in their own communities. Emphasizing the need for immediate action on ecological, climate, and environmental justice issues, this forward-thinking book assists social science professionals, educators, researchers, and other concerned individuals with the knowledge needed for creating meaningful interdisciplinary responses in their communities as they take action within a rapidly changing context. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Modelling a smart tech user journey to decarbonise tourist accommodation

Smart tech offers much promise for tourism recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the broader issue of decarbonising tourism. This paper investigates how accommodation managers engaged with smart tech during the crisis, and the journey of learning how to use numerical data output to drive sustainability actions. Interviews with nine accommodation managers/owners at six sites uncovers a ‘tech journey' that extends prior to, and beyond, the acquisition and installation of the smart technology itself. The journey is explained by a new framework that recognises the need for users (here, the accommodation managers) of smart tech to ‘make it their own', integrating it into their decisions, workflows and finally, identity. This can only happen through a capacity to understand what the data (i.e. numerical outputs) mean, and a process of transforming data into actions. Understanding these processes of ‘data domestication' and ‘data clotting' addresses key gaps in how to achieve potentially radical changes in resource use. Only one case study site had reached this final stage of the journey. The theoretical framework uses the findings from each case to propose early diagnostic questions/tools that can help identify where smart system may need assistance to move from data to action.

Cascading impacts of global metal mining on climate change and human health caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly disrupted global metal mining and associated supply chains. Here we analyse the cascading effects of the metal mining disruption associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, climate change, and human health. We find that the pandemic reduced global metal mining by 10-20% in 2020. This reduction subsequently led to losses in global economic output of approximately 117 billion US dollars, reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 33 million tonnes (exceeding Hungary's emissions in 2015), and reduced human health damage by 78,192 disability-adjusted life years. In particular, copper and iron mining made the most significant contribution to these effects. China and rest-of-the-world America were the most affected. The cascading effects of the metal mining disruption associated with the pandemic on the economy, climate change, and human health should be simultaneously considered in designing green economic stimulus policies.

Too Much of a Good Thing: Rethinking Feed Formulation and Feeding Practices for Zinc in Swine Diets to Achieve One Health and Environmental Sustainability.

The objectives of this review were to summarize current knowledge of Zn in swine nutrition, environmental concerns, potential contribution to antimicrobial resistance, and explore the use of alternative feeding strategies to reduce Zn excretion in manure while capturing improvements in productivity. Zinc is a required nutrient for pigs but is commonly supplemented at concentrations that greatly exceed estimated requirements. Feeding pharmacological concentrations of Zn from ZnO to pigs for 1 to 2 weeks post-weaning reduces post-weaning diarrhea and improves growth performance. Feeding elevated dietary levels of Zn to sows during the last 30 days of gestation can reduce the incidence of low-birth-weight pigs and pre-weaning mortality. Most of the dietary Zn consumed by pigs is not retained in the body and is subsequently excreted in manure, which led several countries to impose regulations restricting dietary Zn concentrations to reduce environmental impacts. Although restricting Zn supplementation in swine diets is a reasonable approach for reducing environmental pollution, it does not allow capturing health and productivity benefits from strategic use of elevated dietary Zn concentrations. Therefore, we propose feeding strategies that allow strategic use of high dietary concentrations of Zn while also reducing Zn excretion in manure compared with current feeding practices.

Energy Demand Trends during COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic lock-downs have led to the biggest fall in energy demand in over 70 years while also having an immense effect on the current energy mix. This study overviews the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the UK energy demand by analysing the associated electricity generation mix before and during COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis uses open-access data that is publicly available on the Official Carbon Intensity API for Great Britain. The scope of this paper is two-fold: first, to provide an overview of the lock-down measures in electricity demand and generation across the world, and second to identify the impact of lock-down restrictions on the British energy generation mix. It can be seen from the results that electricity generation by fossil fuels and renewable energy sources has shown opposite trends while the share of the later increased significantly during the lockdown period. © 2022 EUROSIS-ETI.

Perceptions of change in the environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for environmental policy.

COVID-19 lockdown measures have impacted the environment with both positive and negative effects. However, how human populations have perceived such changes in the natural environment and how they may have changed their daily habits have not been yet thoroughly evaluated. The objectives of this work were to investigate (1) the social perception of the environmental changes produced by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the derived change in habits in relation to i) waste management, energy saving, and sustainable consumption, ii) mobility, iii) social inequalities, iv) generation of noise, v) utilization of natural spaces, and, vi) human population perception towards the future, and (2) the associations of these potential new habits with various socio-demographic variables. First, a SWOT analysis identified strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T) generated by the pandemic lockdown measures. Second, a survey based on the aspects of the SWOT was administered among 2370 adults from 37 countries during the period from February to September 2021. We found that the short-term positive impacts on the natural environment were generally well recognized. In contrast, longer-term negative effects arise, but they were often not reported by the survey participants, such as greater production of plastic waste derived from health safety measures, and the increase in e-commerce use, which can displace small storefront businesses. We were able to capture a mismatch between perceptions and the reported data related to visits to natural areas, and generation of waste. We found that age and country of residence were major contributors in shaping the survey participants ´answers, which highlights the importance of government management strategies to address current and future environmental problems. Enhanced positive perceptions of the environment and ecosystems, combined with the understanding that livelihood sustainability, needs to be prioritized and would reinforce environmental protection policies to create greener cities. Moreover, new sustainable jobs in combination with more sustainable human habits represent an opportunity to reinforce environmental policy.

Epilogue: Summary, the next-frontier emerging contaminants/novel entities, and a look ahead

The present book applied a number of conceptual frameworks to discuss emerging contaminants, and their health risks and mitigation. Four groups of emerging contaminants were discussed: (1) synthetic organic chemicals, (2) high-technology rare earth elements, (3) microplastics, and (4) antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance. This chapter presents an epilogue and outlook for the book, and acts as a sign-post to guide future research efforts on emerging contaminants. A summary of the state-of-the-art on emerging contaminants and the contribution of each chapter/section is presented. An increasing body of evidence exists on the four groups of emerging contaminants covered in the present book. This subset of emerging contaminants can be considered as the ‘back-end’ cluster, whilst a new subset of relatively less studied emerging contaminants also known as novel entities constitutes the 'front-end' or next-frontier emerging contaminants. A discussion of the next-frontier emerging contaminants or novel entities/technologies, including prions, engineered bio-based material, blockchain, nanotechnology, and gene editing/CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is presented. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic towards the end of 2019 changed the complexion of emerging contaminants in terms of the nature, concentrations, and potential impacts. These COVID-19-induced complexities, including a summary of the available evidence and future directions are highlighted. Finally, grand challenges or higher-order research questions on emerging contaminants are highlighted to guide further research. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A systematic scoping review of environmental and socio-economic effects of COVID-19 on the global ocean-human system.

The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has strongly affected human lives. The restrictions taken to slow down the spread of the virus impact socio-economic activities and the environment. A comprehensive review of these COVID-19 impacts on the ocean-human system is lacking. The current study fills this gap by synthesizing the environmental and socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global ocean by conducting a systemic scoping review of 92 published articles. From a geospatial perspective, the studies covered a total of 37 countries, mainly from Asia, Europe, and North America, with a particular focus on the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. From an environmental perspective, both positive and negative effects on global oceans were summarized. Notably, improved coastal water quality and reduced underwater noise were reported. On the other hand, the increasing COVID-19-related medical waste such as personal protective equipment leads to severe pollution, which threatens the marine ecosystem and wildlife. From a socioeconomic perspective, the impacts of the pandemic were negative throughout with marine tourism and the fishery industry being severely disrupted. Coastal communities suffered from loss of income, unemployment, inequalities and health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity for transformation of management and economic practices in order to save our ocean and boost progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14). Future research should include other sectors such as marine biodiversity, marine renewable energy, climate change, and blue economy development of Small Island Developing States. Effective policies and strategies across land and ocean around the world need to be developed and implemented to enhance resilience of the human-ocean system and to achieve post-pandemic global sustainable ocean development.

Potential Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts of the COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Test.

Massive diagnostic testing has been performed for appropriate screening and identification of COVID-19 cases in the ongoing global pandemic. However, the environmental impacts of COVID-19 diagnostics have been least considered. In this paper, the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 nucleic acid diagnostics were assessed by following a full cradle-to-grave life-cycle approach. The corresponding life-cycle anthology was established to provide quantitative analysis. Moreover, three alternative scenarios, i.e., material substitution, improved waste treatment, and electric vehicle (EV)-based transportation, were further proposed to discuss the potential environmental mitigation and conservation strategies. It was estimated that the life cycle of a single COVID-19 nucleic acid diagnostic test in China would lead to the emission of 612.9 g CO2 equiv global warming potential. Waste treatment, as a step of life cycle, worsen the environmental impacts such as global warming potential, eutrophication, and ecotoxicity. Meanwhile, diesel-driven transportation was considered as the major contributor to particulate air. Even though COVID-19 diagnostics are of the greatest importance to end the pandemic, their environmental impacts should not be ignored. It is suggested that improved approaches for waste treatment, low-carbon transportation, and a reliable pool sampling strategy are critical for the achievement of sustainable and green diagnostics.

An exploratory analysis of the negative environmental impacts of pandemic tourism on Canadian destinations

The closure of national borders during COVID-19 triggered domestic tourism travel demand to non-urban destinations. We show that this shift led to negative environmental impacts that we characterize in this paper for Canadian destinations. Based on a review of Canadian media content published during the pandemic, a total of 194 articles were identified, 22 of which reported 83 negative environmental impacts for 19 destinations. We obtain three main results. First, beach tourism was the source of most of the negative environmental impacts (78,9%). Second, the most common problems were associated with car use (36.1%) and waste disposal (36.1%). Third, 26.5% of the problems were caused by waste thrown into the environment. Policy implications are discussed in the conclusion.

Can shared micromobility programs reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Evidence from urban transportation big data

Shared micromobillity has been extensively developed globally in the past few decades, but its impact on the environment remains unclear. This study quantitatively estimates the effects of global shared micromobillity programs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. Specifically, it takes major countries and cities around the world as examples to empirically analyze the impact of station-based bike-sharing (SBBS), free-floating bike-sharing (FFBS), free-floating e-bike sharing (FFEBS), and free-floating escooter sharing (FFESS) programs on the GHG emissions of urban transportation. The results show that, with the exception of SBBS, the other shared micromobillity programs have not achieved desirable GHG emissions reduction benefits. Contrarily to subjective expectations, although the rapid progress of technology in recent years has promoted the vigorous development of shared micromobility, it has brought negative impacts on the GHG emissions rather than the positive benefits claimed by related promoters and operators. The overcommercialization and low utilization rate makes shared micromobility more likely to be an environmentallyunfriendly mode of transportation. In addition, the regional differences in mode choice, operational efficiency, fleet scale, and market potential of shared micromobility and the corresponding impacts on GHG emissions vary greatly. Therefore, authorities should formulate appropriate shared micromobility plans based on the current conditions and goals of the region. This empirical study helps to better understand the environmental impact of the global shared micromobility program and offers valuable references for improving urban sustainability.

Future trends in green financing

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT : Although the current focus in Africa's growing sustainability-linked finance sector is very much on the "E" component of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, the "S" and "G" aspects are expected to become more prominent over time as the sector matures. It is evident South African corporates are showing a real interest in improving ESG standards. Environmental aspects are receiving most of the attention at present, partly because of the amount of research and discussion around climate change and partly because social impact is harder to measure, but the COVID pandemic has really balanced the scales. Currently, domestic banks are still grappling with ways to roll out sustainability-linked finance and green bonds to their clients. Most domestic banks are engineering sustainability loans off traditional funding and adding appropriate sustainability-linked clauses to the agreement

The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and associated environmental challenges: A study on Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused health crisis and concerns worldwide. The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been the primary behavioral and policy response to avert the infection of coronavirus. The emergence of the situation resulted in increased production of PPE, creating a surge in plastic pollution and carbon footprint. The consumption of PPEs is unavoidable; however, proper PPE waste disposal plays a vital role in lessening the associated environmental impacts. This study aims to provide an overview of the environmental challenges associated with Covid-19 pandemic faced in the households located at the heart of Bangladesh, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) area. The study determines carbon footprint in terms of carbon emission equivalent and plastic pollution potential associated with PPEs. The study further implies that there is a gap in the 3R Strategy implementation in Bangladesh hindering the nation in achieving UN's SDG-12. The findings depict that the proper implementation of the 3R strategy is fundamental for ensuring more a resilient, sustainable and livable environment in the in-pandemic and post-pandemic era and further emphasizes that a strengthened policy framework, operational environmental policy tools, environmental education, and the society and stakeholders' spontaneous response to the plastic pollution challenge are essentially required.

Life cycle assessment of electric scooters for mobility services: A green mobility solutions

Summary The gradual rise in global warming owing to fossil fuels usage is causing massive environmental problems and global temperature rise and countries are focusing on the negative emissions technologies (NETs) to restrict the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050. As Italy instigates its stable recovery from the coronavirus emergency, the Italian government is offering Italian people financial support of up to €500 to buy a personal bicycle or e‐scooter, to reduce dependence on private cars and global warming issues and people inItaly have greeted this opportunity for new personal e‐scooters. This paper aims to employ a life cycle assessment (LCA) onthe personally owned electric scooters (PEOS) that are circulating in Turin. The results are reported for five impact categories: global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone layer depletion, and human toxicity potential. We found that the environmental load associated with the usage and charging of e‐scooters is less compared with the materials and manufacturing burdens of e‐scooters. Regarding the GWP, the results of Analysis methodology of the use of the PEOS generate 21 g of CO2‐eq. per passenger‐kilometer dominated by around 50% from materials processing, 17.5% from Li‐ion battery production, 1.6% from transportation, and 30.9% from usage and charging of e‐scooter. Four scenarios are compared with the base case situation, which are the substitution of alternate materials, use of 50% recycled aluminum, transportation of e‐scooters via plan, and charging with solar power. Results from these scenarios are proved to be highly sensitive to baseline scenarios. Results also revealed that PEOS has higher (21 g CO2 eq./km) environmental consequences on the global warming potential as compared to bicycles (8 g CO2 eq./km) and lower (21 g CO2 eq./km) environmental impacts as compared with electric bicycles (40 g CO2 eq./km) and battery electric vehicles (80 g CO2 eq./km). [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Energy Research is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

COVID-19: impactos en el medio ambiente y en el cumplimiento de los ODS en América Latina

Los efectos económicos y sociales que la pandemia del COVID-19 y las medidas asociadas para hacerle frente están teniendo en América Latina pueden derivar en serias consecuencias de largo plazo que repercutirían en el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). En este artículo, resultado de la colaboración de economistas ambientales de ocho países de la región, discutimos los posibles efectos de la pandemia en la contaminación del aire, la deforestación y otros aspectos ambientales relevantes relacionados con los ODS. Además de presentar un recuento de algunos de los efectos iniciales de la crisis sanitaria en el medio ambiente, discutimos efectos potenciales en términos de regulaciones ambientales e intervenciones de política pública. Por último, presentamos una agenda sobre nuevos temas de investigación que surgen a raíz de la pandemia o que han cobrado mayor importancia como consecuencia de esta, incluyendo los impactos sobre el logro de los ODS.Alternate : The social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to contain it in Latin America could lead to a series of long run consequences that could impact the region’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This article is the result of the collaboration of environmental economists from eight of the region’s countries and it discusses the possible pandemic effects on air pollution, deforestation, and other relevant environmental aspects related to the SDG. In addition to reviewing some of the initial effects of the sanitary crisis on the environment, we discuss its potential effects in terms of environmental regulations and public policy interventions. Finally, we discuss a new research agenda with topics derived from the pandemic as well as topics that have recently become more relevant because of it, including its impact on achieving the SDG.

A Review of Environmental Factors for the Spread of Coronavirus and the Role of Expert Healthcare Workers in Prevention

Background: Coronavirus has a high transmissibility, and there are various ways to transmit it. Health forces must consider all possible routes of transmission. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of environmental factors in the spread of coronavirus. Methods: This study was a systematic review. The articles were first selected according to the title related to the research objectives;then the of the study articles and related articles were separated. Finally, after a thorough review of the articles, research related to the objectives of this study was selected. A total of 245 review sources were selected, and finally 63 sources were entered the study. Findings: The coronavirus can be transmitted in different ways. Inanimate surfaces, water and sewage, air, and contaminated hands are important in this regard. The corona virus may remain in the contaminated water of the carrier for days to weeks. The highest concentration of corona virus was in the room air of infected patients. The coronavirus stays in the water contaminated with the corona carrier for a long time, and may be transmitted to other people. Conclusion: Proper ventilation, disinfection of public places, observance of social distance, attention to water and waste hygiene, and personal hygiene should be considered to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Attention to prevention is the main concern of healthcare workers, and more attention should be paid to the role of them as the main lever in prevention. © 2022 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Excellent Opportunity to Study the Effects of Trawling Disturbance on Macrobenthic Fauna in the Shallow Waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea).

This study describes for the first time in the central Mediterranean Sea the effects of bottom trawling on macrobenthic fauna in tidal channels of the Kneiss Islands in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. Following a BACI protocol, two control stations (protected by artificial reefs) and two trawled stations (impacted stations) were sampled during a period with the absence of bottom trawling activity (the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period from March to May 2020) and during a trawled period. Although bottom trawling had no impact on sediment composition, this anthropogenic activity reduced the concentration of dissolved oxygen and had a noticeable effect on water column turbidity. The absence of trawling led to a significant increase in biomass, number of species, and abundance of total macrofauna. This illustrated the negative effect of trawling activity in shallow waters and the high resilience of macrobenthic communities of the tidal ecosystem of the Kneiss Islands. In the future, it would be very important to control the use of this destructive fishing gear due to its negative impact on the marine habitat and macrofauna, which represents essential prey for fishes and birds living in this protected area.