The virus destroying our economy and threatening our lives has taught us an overdue lesson about the connection between health and the environment. That lesson has been delivered through a respiratory disease the effects of which are likely to be exacerbated by air pollution.
The virus effects on lungs and the benefits of a fall in pollution are clear signs that Malta cannot return to old ways when we are through the crisis. Nor can Malta go back to its old noisy world. The lockdown has made us appreciate how much damage is caused by the cacophony of modern life. One of its great compensations has been hearing less noise. Everywhere in heavily urbanised Malta, people are marvelling at the peacefulness of streets with so little traffic.
Two weeks ago, the European Space Agency reported findings so stark that they should really make us ask what on earth we were doing before the pandemic in allowing our towns and villages to become clogged up with noxious fumes and killer particles.
Researchers from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute have published satellite images showing that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide – a factor in lung disease, heart disease and other conditions – recorded between March 13 and April 13 plummeted compared with the same period last year. Rome, Madrid and Milan enjoyed reductions of more than 40 per cent. The fall in Paris was 54 per cent.
In Malta, air pollution over broadly the same period fell by 70 per cent. Nitrogen dioxide emitted by cars showed an average drop of 70 per cent, while harmful particulate matter ejected by car exhausts and the construction industry were down by 50 per cent or more.
Dirty air kills. Evidence of the harm to health of pollution, such as particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, is mounting. Pollution threatens health from the start of life to the end. It provokes health crises for those in vulnerable health and hastens the death of the frail elderly. The path to asthma, heart disease, strokes, breathing problems and lung cancer is well established. Moreover, according to scientific research at Harvard University, pollution may have caused thousands of extra deaths to those infected with coronavirus.
The reasons for Malta’s cleaner air today are not hard to gauge. The government has placed us in lockdown and the economy has had the equivalent of a massive heart attack – with beneficial side-effects for the environment. Far fewer vehicles are on the road, factories have suspended manufacturing, schools have been closed and many are working from home or are unemployed.
When the restart happens, there will be a temptation to forget about air quality. But simply going back to where we were would be a huge mistake. People want to be able to live and breathe clean air again.
It surely makes good sense to view the aftermath of this crisis as an opportunity to ensure Malta has cleaner air. This means that we should accelerate all our efforts towards the creation of greener towns and cities to cut air pollution permanently.
There will be an opportunity for an enlightened government to build on this terrible experience to address the killer air pollution- Martin Scicluna
As to our new-found spell of quiet as a side-benefit of the lockdown, this too presents an opportunity for change we should grasp. Because we are a naturally exuberant and loud people, we do not appreciate that noise is one of the greatest and least considered sources of stress. It is worst in the heavily urbanised parts of the island from car traffic and amplified sound in almost every private and public space.
Understanding the damage noise causes is accumulating. In February, the University of Chicago found that it is an undetected inhibitor of mental performance, undermining the brain’s ability to focus. Our minds may try to accept noise, but psychologically our bodies cannot. It affects our hearts, blood pressure and our chances of stroke.
The coronavirus crisis has shown that Malta should go greener faster. Anyone living in any of Malta’s urban areas would have noticed it. The air is cleaner, with the miasmic haze that hangs over our towns and cities almost completely gone. And the intrusive noise of cars, trucks and construction development have been blessedly reduced.
The last few weeks have given us a taste of what a relief living in a quieter, less polluted Malta can provide. Now that we have glimpsed the effects of greater peace and cleaner air, the recovery of a more vibrant economy should not come at the price of a return to the pollutants we know vehicles and noise cause.
There is an armoury of measures that could be taken to achieve a greener economy if there were the political will to do so. There are too many people in this overpopulated and overbuilt island who are exposed to air and noise pollution levels that breach guidelines from the World Health Organisation. The aim should be to introduce measures to reduce pollution in specific areas incrementally over time.
When the pandemic has abated, and as the policies are developed to reconstruct the economy, there will be an opportunity for an enlightened government to build on this terrible experience to induce a new willingness to address the killer air pollution by taking the drastic steps needed to maintain the steep reduction in vehicle dependency achieved by the lockdown.
Experience suggests a gentle slipping back into our bad old ways. But it would be a terrible mistake to miss the opportunity presented by this dreadful virus if the government were not to take the steps needed now to develop a credible long-term plan for overcoming Malta’s poisonous air pollution and excessive noise levels.