Why Has Covid-19 Had Such A Positive Effect On Global Environmental Awareness?

When the word Covid-19 is discussed what do you think of? Nine times out of ten it will be negative associations with the virus whether this may be the collapse of the world economy or the increase in national death rates.

However, this article takes a more positive outlook on the outbreak of the pandemic as to how it has made vast improvements on the public’s greater awareness of environmental degradation. Even before the development of the corona virus pandemic, the past 18 months has seen a significant shift in the way that corporations view their functions and how they could be detrimental to the environment.

Whether this may be from recent environmental movements and the media attention of Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion, the public and major corporations of the world are now much more aware of their impacts on the environment.

This has been shown by the fact that environmental sustainability is no longer just organisations demonstrating that they are engaging in corporate social responsibility but it now has become a business critique issue too.

A recent survey carried out by B lab UK showed that up to 72% of the British population think that organisations should have a legal responsibility to both the environment and the human population on top of just maximising profits.

What is the covid-19 pandemic’s role in all of this though you may ask? Covid-19 has simply exacerbated and developed this global environmental awareness.

As a result of lock-down procedures, the world has seen a vast reduction in transport and air miles and as a result a more carbon friendly lifestyle has been achieved. Within just a few months from these changes in lifestyle due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed vast developments in air quality, water quality and a flourishing of urban wildlife.

Cities such as New York can even boast of a reduction of air pollution by 50% as a result of the restrictions made to the population as a result of the spread of the virus.

So simply put, the virus has highlighted – with media coverage on a global scale – the extent of positive changes on the environment we can achieve as a result of some minor lifestyle changes made on an intensive scale.

The resolution of global warming and environmental destruction cannot be delayed but rather are issues which require immediate attention.

Covid-19 has now set the stage with a global media attention to not only deal with and restrain the virus but also display the positive impacts on the environment that can be achieved from minor changes in lifestyle.

However, this cannot just be merely a temporary trend as a result from covid-19 in order to make progressive progress in environmental sustainability. Simply attending a Zoom meeting rather than taking an international flight to meet clients will not be enough in the long run.

There needs to be a deep transition in lifestyle from the products we buy to the mode of transport we choose to use but most importantly this needs to be done not only over a few months but over a significant period of time in order to be fully effective.

We, as Britons, have discovered this new lifestyle as a result of the pandemic with a cleaner environment and remote working. So why change it and why not continue to develop this change to create a healthier environment for the short, medium and long term? Sky News even reported a poll which showed that only 9% of the British public wanted to go back to pre-pandemic conditions.

The Hideout House Company have always supported the notion that good environmental practices and procedures should be taught to children from an early stage so that an appreciation of a cleaner and healthier planet comes as second nature to them. Positively, this is already happening however and it is interesting to note that the most audible voices of dissent of late have been coming from the younger generation. We consistently try to develop new products which have an environmental educational twist to them – our playground equipment manufactured out of recycled plastic and our renewable energy eco outdoor classrooms to name but a few.