The world is currently shadowed by the pandemic of COVID-19. Confirmed cases and the death toll has reached more than 12 million and more than 550,000 respectively as of 10 July 2020. In the unsettling pandemic of COVID-19, the whole Earth has been on an unprecedented lockdown. Social distancing among people, interrupted international and domestic air traffic and suspended industrial productions and economic activities have various far-reaching and undetermined implications on air quality and the climate system. Improvement in air quality has been reported in many cities during lockdown, while the death rate of COVID-19 has been found to be higher in more polluted cities. The relationship between the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and air quality is under investigation. In addition, the battle against COVID-19 could bring short-lived and long-lasting and positive and negative impacts to the warming climate. The impacts on the climate system and the role of the climate in modulating the COVID-19 pandemic are the foci of scientific inquiry. The intertwined relationship among environment, climate change and public health is exemplified in the pandemic of COVID-19. Further investigation of the relationship is imperative in the Anthropocene, in particular, in enhancing disaster preparedness. This short article intends to give an up-to-date glimpse of the pandemic from air quality and climate perspectives and calls for a follow-up discussion.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Airborne transmission, Climate change, Air quality, environmental public health, the Anthropocene, 【초록키워드】 public health, pandemic, lockdown, COVID-19 pandemic, activity, improvement, Spread, Impact, International, death, Follow-up, death rate, Perspective, earth, positive, foci, Undetermined, pandemic of COVID-19, inquiry, Anthropocene, implication, reported, addition, long-lasting, imperative, reached, Confirmed, modulating, short-lived, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 【제목키워드】 Climate, Quality, change, Rethinking,