Hi, everyone! This is Romal. I recently read an interesting article on the impact that COVID-19 has had on the environment, and I wanted to share some surprising pieces of information that I picked up from the article. If you would like to read more about this topic, the article is given here: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-ppe-trash-masks-gloves-pollution-deadly-wildlife
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been perceived as good for environment due to the reduction in carbon emissions, there have been many unintended consequences on the wildlife around the world. With disposable masks and protective gloves becoming the norm during this time, the amount of single-use waste that is being discarded and littered has drastically increased.
After finding a freshwater fish entangled inside of a disposable latex glove, two Dutch researchers, Auke-Florian Hiemstra and Liselotte Rambonnet, conducted a large-scale study of the effects of the increased litter on wildlife around the world. According to the article, “they found 28 such instances from all around the world, pointing to a larger, global problem.” The plastic litter was reportedly found entangling numerous birds and was even ingested by several domestic pets.
To give an idea of the scale of this marine pollution, OceansAsia “estimates that 1.56 billion face masks would have entered the world’s ocean last year.” The fact that materials used to protect against COVID-19 have contributed to this large-scale plastic pollution highlights the importance of reducing single-use materials. Utilizing reusable masks and gloves or, at the very least, correctly disposing of these materials is essential in protecting wildlife.
However, in lighter news, the article also discussed that some animals have learned to incorporate these COVID-19 protection materials into their lifestyles. For example, some researchers have observed birds using face masks as materials to build their nests! In my opinion, some birds can even transform these masks into their own personal hammocks. 🙂
Let me know your thoughts on these findings relating to the increased plastic pollution from the COVID-19 pandemic. Join the discussion!
This is such an informative blog post! I learned so much about the unseen effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment, and this was so illuminating. I also enjoyed learning about how some birds are finding ways to make productive use out of the disposable masks! 🙂