Difference between revisions of "Talk:Environmental impact"
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| + | [[File:Logo Monografía.jpg||left|thumb|300px|Map: Evolution in the demand for electricity. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.zip Datos].]] | ||
| + | [[File:Logo Monografía.jpg||right|thumb|300px|Map: Electricity production and year-on-year varation. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.zip Datos].]] | ||
| + | [[File:Logo Monografía.jpg||left|thumb|300px|Statistical graph:Evolution in the demand for electricity. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.zip Datos].]] | ||
| + | [[File:Logo Monografía.jpg||right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Monthly evolution in electricity production. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Europa_Densidad-de-poblacion-en-la-Union-Europea_2019_mapa_18193_spa.zip Datos].]] | ||
Energy is an essential and strategic resource for the socio-economic development of a country. The COVID-19 pandemic altered social behaviour, especially during the initial phases of lockdown. These changes directly impacted energy production and energy consumption in Spain in line with the rest of the European Union. | Energy is an essential and strategic resource for the socio-economic development of a country. The COVID-19 pandemic altered social behaviour, especially during the initial phases of lockdown. These changes directly impacted energy production and energy consumption in Spain in line with the rest of the European Union. | ||
Revision as of 11:13, 13 April 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. First wave: from the first cases to the end of June 2020
Monographs from the National Atlas of Spain. New content
Thematic structure > Social, economic and environmental effects > Environmental impact
The COVID-19 pandemic was directly related to various environmental elements in Spain. Although it is widely accepted that humans (our mobility, the accumulation of people in urban areas, our increased longevity, the degree to which we comply with health recommendations, etc.) are the most powerful factor in the spread of the virus, it has also been proven that several atmospheric conditions served as active agents for infection. In addition, lockdown and the temporary standstill of economic activity had several positive environmental impacts, which are assessed in this chapter.
Aspectos atmosféricos
Coronavirus is more transmissible in dry environments with high pollution levels, cold temperatures (between 5°C and 11°C) and little in the way of moving air. Conversely, geographical zones with warm temperatures (above 18°C), high relative humidity (>70%), and clean, moving air (breezes, for example) are, a priori, environments less prone to infection.
During the winter months of 2020, the amount of COVID-19 cases and fatalities worldwide were higher than in the summer months. The transmission of coronavirus, from its origin in Wuhan (China) to Europe and then to North America, did not follow the typical direction of the mid-latitude winds in the atmospheric general circulation model, what confirms that humans played a decisive role in its spread. However, it did not reach Spain until the end of February/beginning of March, a few weeks later than other European territories. This may be explained by high pressure conditions in the atmosphere, caused by a tropical maritime air mass, which brought abnormally warm temperatures and high levels of sunshine that encouraged people to spend more time outdoors.
During the initial phases of the pandemic, there were more infections in the north of Spain, which has colder night-time temperatures than the southern half of the country and the Mediterranean coast. It also spread more quickly in big cities, such as Madrid and Bilbao, where air quality is poorer than in less populated areas. The contrasting temperatures in February on the maps on Average February temperature 1981-2010 and Average February temperature 2020 clearly depict these facts. In March 2020, however, the previously settled atmospheric conditions gave way to instability, frequent storms and rain. Consequently, just as the state of alarm was enacted and the population went into lockdown, the unstable atmospheric conditions and reduction in human activity combined to clean the air and reduce pollution levels. Despite this, the cooler temperatures bred more favourable conditions for the spread of the virus.
The map showing figures on solar insolation in March 2020 compared to the average in March from 1981 to 2010 shows the frequency of cloudy and overcast days registered at the start of the pandemic. From May onwards, the general rise in temperatures contributed to reducing infection and helped slow the pandemic.
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Average February temperature in Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Logroño, Madrid and Palma
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Energía
Energy is an essential and strategic resource for the socio-economic development of a country. The COVID-19 pandemic altered social behaviour, especially during the initial phases of lockdown. These changes directly impacted energy production and energy consumption in Spain in line with the rest of the European Union.
Electricity production was clearly lower (between 1 and 2 million MWh/month) from mid-March to early June 2020 (lockdown) than during the same period in 2019. Electricity production in Spain is typically at its lowest level in spring. By contrast, electricity demand is higher in winter, due to the great need for heating, industrial production and the Christmas shopping season (which is simultaneous to fewer hours of sunshine), and in summer, due to the demand for air conditioning and the influx of tourists. From July 2020 onwards, electricity production was more similar to the average figures registered in 2019, yet it stayed somewhat lower throughout the year.
The geographical distribution of the year-on-year variation (2020 vs 2019) in electricity production shows some significant facts (see the map on Electricity production and year-on-year variation), e.g. the hefty impact of the pandemic on standard consumption patterns in coastal tourist areas, where energy production fell in line with the fall in demand. Variations in production were minimal in provinces with nuclear power plants. By contrast, favourable weather conditions in 2020 enabled excellent renewable energy production (water, sun and wind); hence provinces with a higher capacity for this type of energy saw their production levels increase compared to 2019.
Petroleum product consumption in Spain clearly decreased in 2020 compared to the previous year (see the graph on the Evolution in petroleum product consumption. January-September 2019-2020). It shall be noted that the Spanish economy began to gradually recover in 2016 from the double recession back in 2008-2013, and this was reflected in the performance of energy consumption indicators in the years prior to the pandemic. However, 2020 brought a sharp halt to this recovery process. The fall was particularly steep during lockdown (from March to May), and figures for 2019 were not recovered until the end of 2020 as new waves of the virus necessitated ongoing restrictions on economic activity and on the general running of Spanish society for most of the year. The sudden halt in private travel had severe outcomes on diesel and petrol consumption, especially the former, and the fall in kerosene consumption was also striking as the sharp drop in commercial flights and tourism extended beyond the spring 2020 shutdown.
The year-on-year falls in petrol, diesel and fuel-oil consumption were remarkable throughout Spain, especially in the regions that most need to transport agri-food products, like Andalusia (Andalucía) and the Region of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana); industrial products, like the Basque Country (Euskadi/País Vasco), Castile and León (Castilla y León) and Catalonia (Catalunya/Cataluña); and goods for trade and tourism, like the Region of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid), Catalonia (Catalunya/Cataluña), the Region of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana), Andalusia (Andalucía) and the Canary Islands (Canarias).
The 2019-2020 year-on-year variation in natural gas consumption was unmistakable in the regions that consume the most, i.e. Catalonia (Catalunya/Cataluña), Andalusia (Andalucía), the Region of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana), the Basque Country (Euskadi/País Vasco) and the Region of Murcia. The decrease, as for petrol, was particularly evident during lockdown (from March to May 2020).
Emisiones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero
Calidad del aire en Europa
Contaminación acústica
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Seismic noise
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Contaminación de aguas residuales y consumo de agua
Vegetación en la ciudad de Sevilla durante la primera ola de la pandemia
Co-authorship of the text in Spanish: Samuel Biener Camacho, Manuel Gilibert Valdés, Javier Martí Talavera, Enrique Moltó Mantero, José Ojeda Zújar, Jorge Olcina Cantos, Antonio Oliva Cañizares, Pilar Paneque Salgado, Víctor Rodríguez Galiano y Esther Sánchez Almodóvar. See the list of members engaged
