A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and ecosystems and opportunities for circular economy strategies

Abstract

Highlights COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenge to all facets of human endeavour. A critical review of the negative and positive impacts of the pandemic is presented. The danger of relying on pandemic-driven benefits to achieving SDGs is highlighted. The pandemic and its interplay with circular economy (CE) approaches is examined. Sector-specific CE recommendations in a resilient post-COVID-19 world are outlined.

How (Un)sustainable Environments Are Related to the Diffusion of COVID-19: The Relation between Coronavirus Disease 2019, Air Pollution, Wind Resource and Energy

“…Regions have to apply long-term sustainable polices directed towards reducing air pollution and supporting the production of renewable energy [33]. Ibn-Mohammed et al [34] suggest that the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic should be used to support sustainable development goals directed towards more resilient and low-carbon economic systems. In particular, policymakers should support a sustainable model of development based on the circular economy in order to balance the complex equation of generating profit with minimal environmental harm [35][36][37].…”

Environmental management strategy in response to COVID-19 in China: Based on text mining of government open information

“…The outbreak of COVID-19 also poses challenges to global environmental governance ( Ibn-Mohammed et al, 2021 ). In the news released by MEE in September, international conferences on addressing global environmental issues, climate change, green recovery after the epidemic, and planning long-term low-carbon development strategies were reported.…”

“…Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also named SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, appeared in December 2019, causing an epidemic in Wuhan, Hubei province, China ( Achak et al, 2020 ). Countries around the world are still struggling in its vortex ( Ibn-Mohammed et al, 2021 ). COVID-19 has brought a huge impact on the global economy and society ( Bashir et al, 2020 ; Chakraborty and Maity, 2020 ; Sarkodie and Owusu, 2020 ), while indirectly affecting the global ecological environment ( Anser et al, 2020 ; Bar, 2020 ; Rupani et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The environmental impact caused by the outbreak has been extensively studied ( Rume and Islam, 2020 ; Saadat et al, 2020 ). Positive impacts include the reduction of particulate matter and NO 2 concentration in the air ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Lokhandwala and Gautam, 2020 ), the reduction of noise ( Ibn-Mohammed et al, 2021 ), and the reduction of energy consumption leading to lower GHG emissions ( Naderipour et al, 2020 ; Wang and Su, 2020 ). The negative effects are mostly due to the massive production of medical waste and wastewater caused by the surge in confirmed cases ( Sarkodie and Owusu, 2020 ; Urban and Nakada, 2020 ), and mass production of personal care products ( Fadare and Okoffo, 2020 ; Prata et al, 2020 ; Rhee, 2020 ).…”

More Is Not Enough: A Deeper Understanding of the COVID-19 Impacts on Healthcare, Energy and Environment Is Crucial

“…More definitions and explanations of footprint analysis are referred to as Čuček et al [ 166 ]. For such a potential framework, the climate change emergency [ 167 ], the Circular Economy strategies [ 168 ] and the transitions to renewable and sustainable energy [ 95 ] would make contributions from different perspectives. Beyond fundamental technical solutions, operational optimisation [ 169 ] and global collaboration and data sharing [ 170 ] have always been being pursued.…”