As the coronavirus (or Covid-19) continues to affect millions of people worldwide, multiple industries are facing stunts to growth and production. There are a plethora of pros and cons when it comes to the stunting of production.

For example, with multiple countries introducing travel bans, the net emission of carbon has decreased. Still, what does this mean for the governments’ abilities to combat climate change after the coronavirus outbreak subsides?

Airlines Take a Hit as People Fly Less — Emissions Also Decrease

Aviation is taking a hit as people are flying less during the coronavirus outbreak.

The epicenter of the coronavirus started in Wuhan, China. Since then, flights to and from China have dropped by about 70%. Mostly due to fears of spreading and contamination of the virus, flights globally have suffered a drop. Along with those drops in flights comes the massive drop in carbon emissions.

With around 30 million commercial airline flights every year, aviation contributes up to one-fifth of the warming in the arctic. Since the outbreak in China, carbon emissions have decreased by about 25%. This may seem like something that should be celebrated, but the status of lower air flights is only short-term.

Currently, airlines are citing the coronavirus outbreak as a reason to halt long-term efforts in combating climate change. With airlines making less income than expected, a rebound in flights will cost much more in the future.

Environmentalists have argued that the financial challenge that airlines are facing now should not be used as an excuse to scale down efforts to fight climate change.

Fashion Production Slows as Coronavirus Dampens Supply in Certain Countries — Reduces Pollution

As Coronavirus cases keep growing, supply chain challenges are becoming increasingly prominent. Image Credit: Ryan McVay/Getty Images

Just in Italy alone, the country has quarantined a quarter of its population. Inevitably, the Coronavirus is likely to hit to Italy’s $100 billion fashion industry hard.

With torn expectations set for the new decade, both consumption and production of fashion are declining.

Manufacturers in China are reaching a standstill. Due to this, many retailers are unable to purchase and sell these goods as they depend on cheap manufacturing in China.

Standstills like these lead to reduced emissions and pollution created from the textile creation process. Pollutants from this process can reach oceans and harm marine life.

Other Sectors Affected by Coronavirus: Construction, Events, and More

Facebook’s annual F8 conference was also cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Apart from the airline and fashion industries facing significant slowing, many other companies have also had to deal with the effects of the pandemic.

For example, construction sites in China and other countries have ceased operation, reducing the demand for materials such as steel and oil.

Big-name companies have also been unable to avoid the pandemic. Apple, for example, has closed all of its stores in mainland China.

In addition, Facebook recently canceled its F8 conference, an event that usually attracts about 4,000 people. Events are well-known to generate large amounts of waste.