Summary + Reader's Response (Final)

In the article “What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus,” written by Alistair Lewis (2020), an atmospheric scientist, understands that air pollution is as dire as the current coronavirus situation, especially in cities. He supports this statement by stating the similarities of health conditions issues between smog and coronavirus that increase the number of deaths. Lewis also mentions that exchange of views by people on “how air pollution affects the rates of mortality from the disease” was tough to conclude, considering the strong connection between both. He examines how the virus was transmitted globally to heavily populated cities, creating a platform for “rapid growth in infections.” Other than the exposure to air pollution, the frequent use of public transportation and high rates of poverty also “increase the prevalence of underlying health conditions” of individuals. When these factors pile up, those with the virus may have their health deteriorate further. Lockdown has positively impacted in purifying the air which helped control contamination of the virus. Overall, it is questionable that improving air pollution will proportionally ameliorate the spread of the disease. While the points Lewis mentioned are true, I feel like he did not discuss enough about how air pollution has increased the number of deaths in a country, how the attention given to air pollution should be as much as coronavirus and an explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution.

Firstly, Lewis should show the effects of air pollution on the number of deaths in a country before coronavirus. He mentions that the death rates of the virus are influenced by air pollution. However, Lewis does not show how air pollution could influence the number of deaths. According to Pereira, Silva & Solé (2020), air pollution is a well-known source of harm to the body, particularly the respiratory and circulatory systems, “being responsible for 7.6% of total global deaths in 2015”. This statement shows that air pollution brings about detrimental effects and on its own, has contributed to a large number of deaths.

Secondly, Lewis should explain how the attention that is given to coronavirus should have been given to air pollution as well. Lewis states that coronavirus started from a heavily populated country and spread to big cities which required immediate attention. The lack of resources; like materials and manpower to meet the demands of coronavirus has forcefully changed people’s behaviour. Air pollution can be as dreadful but due to the effects that happen over time, the consequences cannot be felt instantly, which could be the reason why interventions should be reinforced to ameliorate the environmental issues (Giani et al., 2020). This reflects that the effects of the virus can be seen drastically, which is why actions are taken instantly to improve the situation but this is not applied to air pollution.

Finally, a detailed explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution should be added. Lewis states that the relationship between coronavirus and air pollution could have “offered up hope in dark times of a practical way to reduce the effects of the virus". In my opinion, despite the adverse effects that COVID-19 has, it has brought about new light on how air pollution can be improved. Based on Narain (2020), lockdown “has severely restricted economic activity globally”. Comparing the satellite data of nitrogen oxide (NO2) during lockdown this year and the same period last year, the values have severely decreased. Figure 1 below is adapted from The World Bank, Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested depicts the vast changes of NO2 (Narain, 2020).

Figure 1. Severe decrease in NO2 across South Asia during the lockdown period.

It is undeniable that Lewis has valid points and he opened up a new perspective regarding the relationship of the virus and air pollution. But due to the period the article was written, data available is not enough to elaborate further to show the detailed relationship between both.

(No of words: 656)

References
Giani, P., Castruccio, S., Anav, A., Crippa, P., Hu, W., & Howard, D.  (2020, September 2). The Lancet. Short-term and long-term health impacts of air pollution reductions from COVID-19 lockdowns in China and Europe: a modelling study. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30224-2/fulltext#seccestitle130

Lewis, A. (2020, 13 May). What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus. https://theconversation.com/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-links-between-air-pollution-and-coronavirus-137746

M. Urrutia-Pereira, C.A. Mello-da-Silva, and D. Solé. (2020, September-October) COVID-19 and air pollution: A dangerous association? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328542/

Narain, U. (2020, July 2) The World Bank. Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2020/07/01/air-pollution-locked-down-by-covid-19-but-not-arrested

The World Bank. (2020). Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested. Narain, U.

Reader's Response Draft 2

In the article “What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus,” written by Alistair Levis (2020), an atmospheric scientist, understands that air pollution is as dire as the current coronavirus situation, especially in cities. He supports this statement by stating the similarities of health conditions issues between smog and coronavirus that increase the number of deaths. Levis also mentions that exchange of views by people on “how air pollution affects the rates of mortality from the disease” was tough to conclude considering the strong connection between both. He examines how the virus was transmitted globally to heavily populated cities, creating a platform for “rapid growth in infections.” Other than the exposure to air pollution, the frequent use of public transportation and high rates of poverty also “increase the prevalence of underlying health conditions” of individuals. When these factors pile up, those with the virus may have their health deteriorate further. Lockdown had positively impacted in purifying the air which helped control contamination of the virus. If the disease spreads far from the origin city of infection, it may be possible to track the relation of the environment with the virus itself. Overall, it is questionable that improving air pollution will proportionally ameliorate the spread of the disease. While the points Levis mentioned are true, I feel like he did not discuss enough how air pollution has been a strain to the number of deaths in a country, how the attention is given to coronavirus should have given to air pollution as well explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution.

Firstly, Levis should have shown how air pollution has been a strain to the number of deaths in a country before coronavirus. It was mentioned that the death rates of the virus are influenced by air pollution. However, it does not show the full picture of how air pollution could cause big damage to the number of deaths. According to Urrutia-Pereira, Mello-da-Silva &Solé (2020), air pollution is a well-known source of harm to the body, particularly the respiratory and circulatory systems, “being responsible for 7.6% of total global deaths in 2015”. Based on this statement, it is undeniable that air pollution brings about detrimental effects and has contributed to a large number of deaths.

Secondly, a brief explanation of how the attention is given to coronavirus should have been given to air pollution as well. Levis states that coronavirus started from a heavily populated country and spread expeditiously to other big cities which required immediate attention. In my opinion, air pollution is as dire an issue as coronavirus, which is why it should be given as much attention as coronavirus. The lack of resources to meet the demands of coronavirus has forcefully changed people’s behaviour. Unlike air pollution, the effects of the virus can be seen drastically. Air pollution can be as dreadful but due to the effects that happen over time, the consequences cannot be felt instantly, which could be the reason why interventions should be reinforced to ameliorate the environmental issues (Giani et al., 2020).

Finally, a detailed explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution. Levis states that the relationship between coronavirus and air pollution could have “offered up hope in dark times of a practical way to reduce the effects of the virus". In my opinion, despite the adverse effects that COVID-19 has to the world, it has definitely brought about new light on how air pollution can be improved. Based on the article Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested (2020), lockdown “has severely restricted economic activity globally”. Comparing the satellite data of nitrogen oxide (NO2) during lockdown this year and the same period last year, the values have severely decreased (Narain, 2020). Figure 1 (The World Bank, 2020) below, depicts the vast changes of NO2.

Figure 1: Severe decrease of NO2 across South Asia during the lockdown period

It is undeniable that Levis has valid points and he opened up a new perspective regarding the relationship of the virus and air pollution. But due to the period the article was written, data available are not enough to elaborate further to show the detailed relationship between both.

References:

Giani, P., Castruccio, S., Anav, A., Crippa, P., Hu, W., & Howard, D.  (2020, September 2). The Lancet. Short-term and long-term health impacts of air pollution reductions from COVID-19 lockdowns in China and Europe: a modelling study. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30224-2/fulltext#seccestitle130

Levis, A. (2020). What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus. https://theconversation.com/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-links-between-air-pollution-and-coronavirus-137746

M. Urrutia-Pereira, C.A. Mello-da-Silva, and D. Solé. (2020) COVID-19 and air pollution: A dangerous association? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328542/

Narain, U. (2020, July 2) The World Bank. Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2020/07/01/air-pollution-locked-down-by-covid-19-but-not-arrested

Reader's Response

In the article “What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus,” written by Alistair Levis (2020), an atmospheric scientist, understands that air pollution is as dire as the current coronavirus situation, especially in cities. He supports this statement by stating the similarities of health conditions issues between smog and coronavirus that increase the number of deaths. Levis also mentions that exchange of views by people on “how air pollution affects the rates of mortality from the disease” was tough to conclude considering the strong connection between both. He examines how the virus was transmitted globally to heavily populated cities, creating a platform for “rapid growth in infections.” Other than the exposure to air pollution, the frequent use of public transportation and high rates of poverty also “increase the prevalence of underlying health conditions” of individuals. When these factors pile up, those with the virus may have their health deteriorate further. Lockdown had positively impacted in purifying the air which helped control contamination of the virus8. If the disease spreads far from the origin city of infection, it may be possible to track the relation of the environment with the virus itself. Overall, it is questionable that improving air pollution will proportionally ameliorate the spread of the disease. While the points Levis mentioned are true, I feel like he did not discuss enough how air pollution has been a strain to the number of deaths in a country, how the attention is given to coronavirus should have given to air pollution as well explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution.

First things first, Levis should have shown how air pollution has been a strain to the number of deaths in a country before coronavirus. It was mentioned that the death rates of the virus are influenced by air pollution. However, it does not show the full picture of how air pollution itself could cause big damage to the number of deaths. According to Urrutia-Pereira, Mello-da-Silva &Solé (2020), air pollution is a well-known source of harm to the body, particularly the respiratory and circulatory systems, “being responsible for 7.6% of total global deaths in 2015”. Based on this statement, it is undeniable that air pollution brings about detrimental effects and has contributed to a large number of deaths.

Secondly, a brief explanation of how the attention is given to coronavirus should have been given to air pollution as well. Levis (2020) states that coronavirus started from a heavily populated country and spread expeditiously to other big cities which require immediate attention. In my opinion, air pollution is as dire an issue as coronavirus, which is why it should be given as much attention as coronavirus. The lack of resources to meet the demands of coronavirus has forcefully changed people’s behaviour. Unlike air pollution, the effects of the virus can be seen drastically. Air pollution can be as dreadful but due to the effects that happen over time, the consequences cannot be felt instantly, which could be the reason why interventions should be reinforced to ameliorate the environmental issues (Giani et al., 2020).

Finally, a detailed explanation of how the lockdown due to coronavirus may have changed the perspective of air pollution. Levis (2020) states that the relationship between coronavirus and air pollution could have “offered up hope in dark times of a practical way to reduce the effects of the virus". In my opinion, despite the adverse effects that Covid-19 has to the world, it has definitely brought about new light on how air pollution can be improved. Based on the article Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested (2020), lockdown “has severely restricted economic activity globally”. Comparing the satellite data of nitrogen oxide (NO2) during lockdown this year and the same period last year, the values have severely decreased (Narain, 2020). Figure 1 (The World Bank, 2020) below, depicts the vast changes of NO2.

Figure 1: Severe decrease of NO2 across South Asia during the lockdown period

It is undeniable that Levis has valid points and he opened up a new perspective regarding the relationship of the virus and air pollution. But due to the period the article was written, data available are not enough to elaborate further to show the detailed relationship between both.

No of words: 652

References:
Giani, P., Castruccio, S., Anav, A., Crippa, P., Hu, W., & Howard, D.  (2020, September 2). The Lancet. Short-term and long-term health impacts of air pollution reductions from COVID-19 lockdowns in China and Europe: a modelling study. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30224-2/fulltext#seccestitle130

Levis, A. (2020). What We Do and Don’t Know about the Links between Air Pollution and Coronavirus. https://theconversation.com/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-links-between-air-pollution-and-coronavirus-137746

M. Urrutia-Pereira, C.A. Mello-da-Silva, and D. Solé. (2020) COVID-19 and air pollution: A dangerous association? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328542/

Narain, U. (2020, July 2) The World Bank. Air Pollution: Locked Down by COVID-19 but Not Arrested. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2020/07/01/air-pollution-locked-down-by-covid-19-but-not-arrested

 Draft 1