The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation

Pradhan, Prajal; Subedi, Daya Raj; Khatiwada, Dilip; Joshi, Kirti; Kafle, Sagar; Chhetri, Raju; Dhakal, Shobhakar; Gautam, Ambika P.; Khatiwada, Padma Prasad; Mainaly, Jony; Onta, Sharad; Pandey, Vishnu Prasad; Parajuly, Keshav; Pokharel, Sijal; Satyal, Poshendra; Singh, Devendra Raj; Talchabhadel, Rocky; Tha, Rupesh; Thapa, Bhesh Raj; Adhikari, Kamal; Adhikari, Shankar; Bastakoti, Ram C.; Bhandari, Pitambar; Bharati, Saraswoti; Bhusal, Yub Raj; Bk, Man Bahadur; Bogati, Ramji; Kafle, Simrin; Khadka, Manohara; Khatiwada, Nawa Raj; Lal, Ajay Chandra; Neupane, Dinesh; Neupane, Kaustuv Raj; Ojha, Rajit; Regmi, Narayan Prasad; Rupakheti, Maheswar; Sapkota, Alka; Sapkota, Rupak; Sharma, Mahashram; Shrestha, Gitta; Shrestha, Indira; Shrestha, Kshitiz; Tandukar, Sarmila; Upadhyaya, Shyam; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Bhuju, Dinesh Raj

doi:10.1029/2021ef001996

Cited by 49 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Women have faced an increase in domestic violence and an increased burden of unpaid domestic duties ( UN Women, 2020a ). On the contrary, the pandemic could be viewed as an opportunity for sustainable transformation through increased reliance on digital communications as well as digital economy ( Pradhan and Subedi, 2021 ). In addition, reduced industrial activities and restricted mobility have resulted in positive impact on the environment (e.g., CO 2 emissions cut-off) ( Le Quéré et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary quantitative assessment of the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goals

Elsamadony

Fujii²,

Ryo³

et al. 2022

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary quantitative assessment of the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goals

Elsamadony

Fujii²,

Ryo³

et al. 2022

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…Nepal enforced a countrywide lockdown for 119 days, from 24 March to 20 July 2020 (Pradhan et al, 2021), during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown was observed during two seasons, namely the pre-monsoon or dry season (March-May) and the monsoon or wet season (June-September).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted society, the economy, and the environment irrespective of geographical and political boundaries (Elsaid et al, 2021;Osterrieder et al, 2021;Poudel and Subedi, 2020;Pradhan et al, 2021;Shakil et al, 2020). Restrictions on outdoor activities and travel, including strict health and safety protocols and lockdowns imposed by governments of the countries to contain the pandemic, significantly reduced the vehicular traffic and industrial and commercial activities globally since the beginning of 2020 (Jephcote et al, 2021;Madineni et al, 2021;Yang et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Change in Air Quality during the COVID-19 Lockdown between Dry and Wet Seasons in Nepal

Dhital

Bhattarai

Sapkota

et al. 2022

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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In Nepal, a South Asian country located in the central Himalayan region, a countrywide lockdown was imposed from 24 March to 20 July 2020 to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the first wave of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic. This study used the rare incidence of countrywide lockdown to investigate the air quality change in Nepal and its topographically unique urban center, the Kathmandu Valley, during the lockdown period, segregated by dry (pre-monsoon) and wet (monsoon) seasons, based on satellite remote sensing and ground-based air quality monitoring data. Our analysis showed a remarkable improvement in air quality during the lockdown in the dry season over the country. The mean aerosol optical depth (AOD), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) levels over the entire country decreased by 27.7%, 12.7%, and 5.12%, respectively, compared to the pre-pandemic levels. Likewise, in the Kathmandu Valley, PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm), AOD, NO 2 , and CO levels decreased by 38.1%, 38.0%, 16.5%, and 6.03%, respectively, during the dry season segment of the lockdown. It is worth noting that the change in AOD and NO 2 levels was notably higher in the Kathmandu Valley than in the entire country. However, during the wet season segment of the lockdown, relatively subtle changes in AOD (-7.41%), NO 2 (-6.87%), and CO (-2.80%) levels were observed over the country. Since the lockdown restricted people's mobility and operation of many industries, it might have reduced emissions from transport and industrial sectors. Therefore, our findings provide insights into the potential improvement in air quality that could be achieved by controlling emissions from those sectors and can be useful in formulating urban air quality management strategies.

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“… 6 The nature of this recovery could provide an opportunity for a faster shift to a more environmentally sustainable economy and healthier populations. 7 , 8 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How different COVID-19 recovery paths affect human health, environmental sustainability, and food affordability: a modelling study

Maire

Sattar

Henry

et al. 2022

The Lancet Planetary Health

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The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation

Cited by 49 publications

References 36 publications

Preliminary quantitative assessment of the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goals

Preliminary quantitative assessment of the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goals

Comparing the Change in Air Quality during the COVID-19 Lockdown between Dry and Wet Seasons in Nepal

How different COVID-19 recovery paths affect human health, environmental sustainability, and food affordability: a modelling study

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