Abstract

In 2020, we are in the doorstep of a new decade, during which the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are to be achieved, collectively as one nation and one human-hood, where availability of safe, sustainable and clean water and air forms the core of multiple goals. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe has resulted a newer challenge and paradigm for an evolving socio-scientific priorities. It is generally expected that the impacts of the pandemic would be in shorter time-scale, while the planned time and pathway for attaining the SDG are typically mandated in longer-term, hence may remain mostly unaffected. However, the stringent lockdown measures, isolated economies and financial burden to contain the pandemic emergency have resulted to slowdown of socio-economic development, which if continues for a longer period, would put a question mark on developing plans and pathways to achieve the SDGs, even in decadal-scale. Hence, in these newer times, it is important to understand the real priorities of availability of clean water and air, which are already stressed worldwide and in India, because of various natural and human-influenced triggers. This ongoing pandemic has provided an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the impact of human development and consequent feedback of nature and human society in pre- and post-COVID scenarios on water–air–human life, which can help to re-think and re-orient the societal development priorities. It is a rare opportunity for scientists to impress the policy-makers with real-time examples on the efficacies of potential mitigation strategies for climate change, water and air pollution, and the importance of enduring investment on environmental causes and consequent benefits that can secure health and development for our future generations.

Highlights

• Environmental pollution and climate change pose a high risk for human survival.
• Develop resilience to attain SDGs in spite of economic constraints caused by COVID-19.
• Set real priorities of availability of clean water and air for future, in a unified world.

中文翻译：

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关于在COVID-19大流行期间实现水和空气以实现可持续发展目标的思考

摘要

2020年，我们正迈入新十年的大门，在此期间，作为一个国家和一个人的国家，要实现联合国可持续发展目标（SDG），在这里，可获得安全，可持续和清洁的水和空气多个目标的核心。但是，全球COVID-19大流行的出现给不断发展的社会科学优先事项带来了新的挑战和范例。人们普遍预计，大流行的影响将在较短的时间范围内，而实现可持续发展目标的计划时间和途径通常是在较长时期内强制执行的，因此在很大程度上可能不会受到影响。但是，严格的封锁措施，孤立的经济体和遏制大流行紧急情况的财政负担导致社会经济发展放慢，如果长期持续下去，即使在十年规模的情况下，也会对制定计划和实现可持续发展目标的途径提出疑问。因此，在这些新时代，重要的是要了解获得清洁水和空气的真正优先事项，由于各种自然因素和人为因素，这已经在全世界和印度引起了关注。持续的大流行提供了前所未有的机会来评估人类发展的影响以及在COVID之前和之后情景中自然和人类社会对水，空气，人类生活的影响，这有助于重新思考和重新定位社会发展优先事项。对于科学家来说，这是一个难得的机会，它可以通过实时实例向政策制定者打动气候变化，水和空气污染的潜在缓解策略的效果，

强调

• 环境污染和气候变化对人类生存构成了很高的风险。
• 尽管COVID-19造成了经济限制，但仍要发展抵御能力，以实现可持续发展目标。
• 在一个统一的世界中为未来提供清洁水和空气的真正优先事项。