The origin of the novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its potential for harm increased face mask and medical waste in the environment, thereby necessitating the urgent prevention and control of the pandemic. The article estimates the face mask and medical waste generation in Asia during the pandemic to convince the waste management and scientific communities to find ways to address the negative impact that the waste disposal has on the environment. Standardisation, procedures, guidelines and strict implementation of medical waste management related to COVID-19, community habitats and public areas should be carefully considered to reduce pandemic risks in hospitals, as proper medical waste disposal effectively controls infection sources.

Face Mask and Medical Waste Disposal during the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia

Majority of the million tons of plastic produced each year is being disposed after single-use. Plastic bottle, bags, food containers, gloves, and cup that end up in landfills and environment could linger for hundreds to thousands of years. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), will also exacerbate the global plastic pollution as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE i.e., gloves, masks) became mandatory to prevent the spread of the virus. Plastic eventually breaking down in micro & nanoscopic bits due to physical or chemical or biological actions in the environment, can enter animal and human food web. So, plastic management programs need to be more robust with a focus on the prevention of the micro and nanoplastics entrance into the environment and food web. In the present pandemic situation, it is even more necessary to know about how much plastic waste is being generated and how different countries are coping up with their plastic waste management. In this review, we have elucidated how global plastic production rise during COVID-19 and how it would contribute to short and long-term impacts on the environment. Plastic pollution during the pandemic will increase the GHS emissions in the incineration facilities. Improper disposal of plastics into the oceans and lands would endanger the marine species and subsequently human lives. We have also assessed how the increased plastic pollution will aggravate the micro and nanoscale plastic problem, which have now become an emerging concern. This review will be helpful for people to understand the plastic usage and its subsequent consequences in the environment in a pandemic like COVID-19.

Plastic pollution during COVID-19: Plastic waste directives and its long-term impact on the environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only human health and economies but also the environment due to the large volume of waste in the form of discarded personal protective equipment. The remarkable increase in the global usage of face masks, which mainly contain polypropylene, and improper waste management have led to a serious environmental challenge called microplastic pollution. Potential practices for waste management related to waste valorization of discarded face masks as the major type of waste during the COVID-19 pandemic are explored in this study. Recommendations based on governmental practices, situation of state facilities, and societal awareness and engagement applicable to emergency (including COVID-19 pandemic) and postpandemic scenarios are offered while considering potential solutions and available waste management practices in different countries during emergency conditions. However, multicriteria decision making for a country must determine the optimal solution for waste management on the basis of all affecting factors. Awareness of scientific, governments, and communities worldwide will successfully eradicate this important environmental issue.

Review of the valorization options for the proper disposal of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sustainable waste electrical and electronic equipment management guide in emerging economies context: A structural model approach

Estimating global marine surface microplastic abundance: systematic literature review.

Applying the extended producer responsibility towards plastic waste in Asian developing countries for reducing marine plastic debris

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has raised issues with waste management. In Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, the increasing amount of medical waste during the pandemic is not in line with the availability of waste management facilities. Furthermore, the amount of plastic waste is also rising because people rely more on food delivery services. This causes a plastic waste ban roll-back in some countries. In this difficult situation, it is crucial for ASEAN countries to strengthen their waste management policies. Also, protection of all parties, including informal workers, must be considered to enforce a clean and healthy work environment.

Strengthening Waste Management Policies to Mitigate the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the original article, there was an error in affiliation 1. The correct affiliation appears above. Additionally, references [15] and [52] contained formatting errors. The correct versions are as follows: 15. Ikeda Y, Iyetomi H, Mizuno T. Big data analysis on global community formation and isolation. Springer (2021). 52. ASEAN. Declaration of ASEAN Concord II (Bali Concord II) (2003). Available from: https://asean.org/speechandstatement/declaration-of-asean-concord-ii-baliconcord-ii/ (Accessed 12, September 2022). The authors apologize for these errors and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.

Corrigendum: International cooperation analysis of Asian political distance network constructed using event data

This study examined whether nighttime light can be a proxy for building height. It is important for estimating an urban environment and urban design and understanding industrial clusters. However, it is necessary to purchase height data for a wide range of buildings, and it is difficult to obtain data in a time series. In this study, we examined whether it is possible to estimate the height of buildings using nighttime light data. This research focuses on the fact that as the number of windows increases, the amount of light leaking from the windows during the night increases for the entire building. This increases the amount of light emitted by the building. We conducted the first Japanese correlation analysis using a three-dimensional dataset with a resolution of 1 meter that was released by Hyogo Prefecture on 10 January 2020. We also used nighttime light data from the Suomi NPP satellite, which has been in operation since 2011 and is jointly managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. The percentage of land occupied by buildings within a 450-meter square of a nighttime light resolution was varied to obtain a higher correlation between buildings and nighttime light. The correlation between the average height of buildings and the luminous intensity of nighttime light within that pixel was calculated. The coefficient of determination was 0.425, which was the best value when the percentage of land occupied by buildings in a pixel was between 70 and 80%. This study found a high correlation between night light and building height. We believe that if a building has a certain size, the night light can be used as a proxy. The results of our research will contribute to understanding the changes and characteristics of urban development and population distribution as urbanization progresses in various regions. Rapid public transportation services, education, and environmental improvement will contribute to urban development and changes in population distribution, which will greatly relieve urban poverty and improve urban security and the environment.

Possible correlation between nighttime lighting data and building height

In this study, we analyze how economic shocks affect six ASEAN Member States—Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—in three dimensions: global, domestic, and uncertainty shocks. We collect macroeconomic indicators for 1990−2021 and calculate macroeconomic shocks based on the prediction errors of real GDP growth rates. First, we demonstrate that countries were significantly subjected to unforeseen negative economic shocks on average. Second, we show high synchronization of economic fluctuations and shocks within these countries and with the world. Third, by conducting regression analyses separately, we derive the following: (i) positive association between variations of the global real GDP growth rates and countries’ economic shocks; (ii) different quantitative significance of previous estimates among countries; (iii) country-specific domestic shocks; and (iv) correlation of global-and country-level uncertainty indices with negative economic shocks in some AMS. Our results highlight the relative importance of global, domestic, and uncertainty shocks in the AMS as 56.3%, 39.6%, and 2.8%, respectively. Finally, based on this dataset and conducted analysis, we also review the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on these countries. JEL Classification : E32; F44; N15

Fusanori Iwasaki

Papers

Applying the extended producer responsibility towards plastic waste in Asian developing countries for reducing marine plastic debris

Strengthening Waste Management Policies to Mitigate the COVID-19 Pandemic

Corrigendum: International cooperation analysis of Asian political distance network constructed using event data

Possible correlation between nighttime lighting data and building height

Kier discussion paper series kyoto institute of economic research