Impact of the 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic on the environment

Up to 2020, increases in the amount of greenhouse gases produced since the beginning of the industrialisation epoch caused average global temperatures on the Earth to rise, causing effects including the melting of glaciers and rising sea levels. In various forms, human activity caused environmental degradation, an anthropogenic impact. Prior to the 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic, measures that were expected to be recommended to health authorities in the case of a pandemic included quarantines and social distancing. Independently, also prior to the 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic, researchers argued that reduced economic activity would help decrease global warming and air and marine pollution, allowing the environment to slowly flourish.