ENVIRONMENTAL LAW WITH RESPECT TO COVID 19

INTRODUCTION

Since the COVID-19 crisis has had varying degrees of effects around the world, the revealed strengths and weaknesses in current public policies and adaptive capability have emerged as a shared theme in all countries. To cope with large-scale challenges like COVID-19, strategies for improving preparedness and adaptive control are critical.

The development of adaptive capacities and tolerance are essential components of external shock preparedness. However, because of their indirect (or invisible) impacts and dynamic relationships with social and economic processes, environmental considerations often take a backseat when developing solutions for adaptive capacities and resilience for a population and economy. Environmental legislation is seen as a foundation for developing policies to strengthen the interconnected socio-ecological system's resistance to external perturbations.

The human race has shaped the world in every way, from land to sea, even as we talk. As previously noted, the state of the atmosphere is degrading, and public health is being jeopardised. It is a matter that zoonotic diseases account for about 75% of newly arising diseases. Zoonotic diseases are diseases that occur in wild or domesticated animals and are then transmitted to humans. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been collaborating closely with scientists to establish a connection between ecological stability, the environment, and human health, including zoonotic diseases. The need for a biodiversity system is critical right now, given the intertwined nature of life on Earth.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Organization for Migration has expressed serious concerns. Many human settlements in the modern world depend on migration and climatic conditions for survival, but the pandemic has created a backlog in such migration, whether foreign or intranational. Worst of all, it is impossible to guess whether a solution to the problem will be discovered. It is impossible to say how long the new emergency provisions, which are in place in most countries in various forms, will be upheld.

Analysing the approaches of countries that successfully combated the COVID-19 epidemic reveals a trend. Accept the dilemma first. COVID-19 had a less destructive effect in countries that accepted it as a real issue rather than a joke.

Second, keep communicating and sharing the severity of the issue with society. In the face of such pandemics, people's trust and solidarity are critical. Third, even though it costs you money in the short run, take stringent steps to save people's lives. Fourth, engage with all stakeholders and take collaborative actions. The world has seen that rich economies that delayed in accepting the problem, failed miserably. On the other hand, countries that were least affected by COVID-19, proactively accepted the problem and followed this process.

Scientists are concerned that continued deforestation, agricultural agriculture, illicit animal trafficking, climate change, and other environmental degradation practises would result in further pandemics and serious human rights abuses. The effect of the lockout on nature and the world is not entirely optimistic, and this account of the pandemic's impact on the environment is incomplete. When it comes to environmental quality, towns and metropolitan areas prosper from less people on the highways, the tale is almost the polar opposite in rural areas and deep within the forests. Conservation International's office has been fielding concerns of increased deforestation from all over the world.

INDIAN ENVIROMENT AND COVID-19

In the recent past, and particularly in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, there have been increasing examples of India's ill-functioning environmental protection laws and regulations, as well as the need for a paradigm change in environmental protection.

In this regard, the following recent incidents in India should be mentioned:

India has 15 of the top 20 most polluting cities in the country. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the suspension of manufacturing operations (including coal-based industries), transportation, and other activities resulted in a rapid improvement in air and water quality throughout the region. According to some reports, there is a connection between air contamination and an increased risk of death from COVID-19.

Water stress (in terms of affordability, access, and quality) is another facet of a larger issue that prevents people from upholding basic hygiene and sanitation during infectious disease outbreaks like this one.

As a result, coping with pollutants to sustain habitat carrying power and population wellbeing in a densely populated country with unplanned human settlements is difficult. Many policymakers have provided green signals to environmental law amendments that are harmful to nature when the whole planet is suffering from the pandemic. The acts are immoral and irresponsible because they would exacerbate the negative consequences of environmental deterioration. The COVID-19 has shown the importance of a healthy, secure, and productive atmosphere and living standards at this time.

It has been statistically proved that environmental sustainability has a strong correlation. COVID-19 causes a rise in premature mortality in regions with higher emission levels, with death rates 15 percent higher in high pollution areas than in low pollution areas. Similarly, contaminated water is more difficult to contaminate, making it more difficult to avoid the transmission of coronavirus. Scientists have discovered a connection between the dissemination of certain viruses and the types of societies that are susceptible to these diseases. They came to the conclusion that these pathogens occur and propagate three times further in zoonotic sites. Continued deforestation, synthetic agriculture, unregulated wildlife trafficking, climate change, and other activities have alarmed scientists.

CONCLUSION

The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a large number of people. Scientists have shown in several experiments that the disease is closely linked to human contact with animals and ecosystems. Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease that starts in animals and spreads to people. Experts believe the reason for this is that when a wild animal is tamed and bred with domestic animals, the outcome always goes against nature's original path. Human interference is the primary cause of zoonotic disease transmission, and further disruption will result in further pandemics in the future.

Environmental quality is also a significant factor in pandemics. It has been proven that regions with poor air quality have a higher risk of death from the coronavirus. The cleanliness of water has also been linked to disease pollution. Illegal logging, hunting, and mining have all been recorded in various parts of the world. While the rest of the population is ensconced in their homes, rainforests are seeing an increase in deforestation. Lockdown has also been shown to be detrimental to ecotourism, which is critical for the survival of local residents and biodiversity.

REFERENCES:

1. “Environmental Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic and Potential Strategies of Sustainability.” PubMed Central (PMC), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498239.

2. World Health Organization. Public Health Surveillance for COVID-19: Interim Guidance. World Health Organization, 2020, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep28195. Accessed 13 May 2021.

3. Rowell, K.. (2020). COVID-19 and Environmental Law. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.3582879.

4. “Coronavirus and Climate Change.” C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/coronavirus-and-climate-change.

5. Rowell, Arden, COVID-19 and Environmental Law (April 22, 2020). Environmental Law Reporter, Vol. 50 (10881), 2020, University of Illinois College of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 20-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3582879 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3582879

~Authored by Gitika Mahawar