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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.
{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Aspectos atmosféricosAtmospheric factors}}
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.
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{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=EnergíaEnergy}}
[[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].]]
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{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Emisiones de Gases de Efecto InvernaderoGreenhouse gas emissions}}
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Lastly, according to data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), despite the pattern of decreasing emissions and the short-term effect of lockdown, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere continued to rise in 2020, exceeding the threshold of 410 parts per million. Therefore, measures to reduce emissions in a more expedient, planned and sustained way are urgently required to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5ºC.
{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Calidad del aire en EuropaAir quality in Europe}}Lockdown and restrictions on mobility slowed down economic activity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a significant drop in road transport, as outlined in other chapters. To analyse the effects of this slowdown on air pollution, the European Environment Agency (EEA) monitored the average weekly and monthly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particles (PM 10 and PM 2.5), measured every hour or every day by nearly 3,000 gauging stations (EEA, 2020 and 2021). Exposure to air pollution may have adverse effects on health, and in particular people with respiratory diseases could be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Although the epidemiological research carried out to date is as yet inconclusive, all signs suggest that such exposure worsens the condition of people infected with coronavirus. What has been concluded is that a higher air quality prevented 2,190 early deaths in Europe ascribable to fine particles (PM 2.5) from 21 February to 17 May 2020 (Giani et al., 2020).
Data show that concentrations of NO2, which are primarily bred by road transport, decreased during lockdown. However, they do not suggest a consistent reduction in the concentration of PM 2.5 particles, probably due to the different origins of this pollutant, which include fuel for heating, industrial activity, traffic and reactions with other atmospheric pollutants, such as ammonia, which is related to the use of agricultural fertilisers. Weather conditions may also contribute to decreases or increases in the concentration of pollutants and explain, in part, why reductions in air pollution are rarely homogeneous.
The graphs show the evolution of atmospheric NO2 pollution in ten European cities between weeks 11 and 27 in 2019 and 2020. In most cases, there was a significant reduction in micrograms per cubic metre (μg / m3), which was especially remarkable in cities such as Paris (weeks 13 and 16), Milan/Milano (week 13) and Madrid (week 15). {{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Contaminación acústicaNoise pollution}}
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The accelerometer records show that the average daily cultural seismic noise level drops by several decibels at the weekend. They also confirm alterations in seismic noise due to the decrease, cessation and resumption of human activities during lockdown and subsequent downscaling phases. Thus, the daily average noise level decreased during lockdown by between 1 and 7 dB, depending on the gauging station, compared to the prior reference level. Subsequently, with the gradual resumption of activity during the transition to ‘new normal life’, the cultural seismic noise progressively increased until it reached figures similar to those registered before lockdown, as shown by the daily average anthropic seismic noise levels recorded by the accelerometers in Granada and Lorca (Region of Murcia/Región de Murcia).</ul>}}</div>
{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Contaminación de aguas residuales y consumo de aguaWastewater pollution and water consumption}}
{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Vegetación en la ciudad de Sevilla durante la primera ola de la pandemiaVegetation in the city of Seville during the first wave of the pandemic}}
