Can Coronavirus Really Save More Lives than it Takes?

The coronavirus crisis continues to upset economies and claim lives across the globe. At present, there have been over 1.6 million documents cases of the disease resulting in almost 100,000 deaths, while the actual totals of both are projected to be far higher. But as the scientific community continues to search for innovative ways to tackle the spread of COVID-19, some spectators are suggesting that perversely, the virus could actually save more lives than it takes.

That’s the view of François Gemenne, who serves as the director of the environmental research organisation, The Hugo Observatory. Responsible for examining the correlations between environmental activity, human migratory habits and political affairs, Gemenne has highlighted how the drop-off in emissions brought about the virus could avoid countless premature deaths as a result of poor air quality, which occurs on an annual basis.

The lesser of two evils?

While the mainstream media has focused on the spiralling death toll brought about the outbreak of the virus, it rarely gives similar attention to those caused by poor air quality. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a total of 4.2 million people are killed by ambient (outdoor) air pollution each year, while a further 3.8 million suffer premature death as a result of exposure to indoor contaminants caused by cleaning chemicals and cooking fumes. Over 90% of the global populace is breathing unsafe levels of pollution on a daily basis, as defined by the WHO.

While it’s impossible to estimate with any degree of certainty the final death toll caused by COVID-19, the most dramatic projections have been in the millions – and that’s a cumulative, final total, not an annual one. Of course, more conservative (and perhaps credible) estimates have been significantly lower. As such, by staying indoors and reducing our combustion of damaging fuels (such as the petrol or diesel in our cars or the coal, oil and gas in power plants), we could avoid millions of tonnes of harmful emissions, thus saving innumerable lives.

Learning our lessons

Regardless of whether coronavirus kills or saves more people in the end, one thing which has been highlighted by the crisis is the vastly different approaches that governments across the world have taken to COVID-19 compared to climate change. “I think this is something that should question us: why are we so much more afraid of the coronavirus than we are of climate change or atmospheric pollution or other kinds of threats?” explains Gemenne. “What is so special about the coronavirus that we are ready to put the whole world on lockdown because of that?”

Once the dust has finally settled on the 2020 pandemic and the global economy can begin to pick itself back up, will lessons have been learned? The current drop-off in air pollution has offered us a valuable insight into what life might be like if we were able to quickly make the transition to a low-carbon economy – but only if we accelerate on the road to a renewable energy revolution. Using the latest technology to stay abreast of air pollution data and adjusting our attitude to what constitutes a necessary emission will be key facets of ensuring that those who lose their lives to coronavirus may not have died in vain.