Publications (FIS)

COVID-19 and the Environment in Canada

A Narrative Synthesis of Environmental, Behavioural, and Economics Literature

Authored by

José Jerico Fiestas Flores, Wiktor Adamowicz, Patrick Lloyd-Smith

Abstract

This short paper explores economic studies that analyze how covid-19 affected the environment in Canada. We conducted a literature search and found thirty-six studies that use economic and quantitative methods to assess the effects of covid-19 on air quality, water quality, climate change, biodiversity, and other environmental dimensions. We classified these studies into four groups depending on the effects they explore: i) Effects on environmental quality, ii) effects on waste generation, iii) effects on consumption and iv) effects on housing markets. The first group focuses on changes in air, land, or water quality caused by the lockdowns, while the second group analyzes the waste created by household and different sectors. The third group examines the changes in goods and services consumption, including changes in recreation activities. The last group explores the changes in housing markets produced by
changes in the valuation of environmental attributes (e.g. landscape, green areas) during the pandemic.

Details

Organisation(s): Environmental Behaviour and Planning
External Organisation(s): University of Alberta
University of Saskatchewan
Type: Contribution to book/anthology
Pages: 256-284
No. of pages: 28
Publication date: 22.12.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land

Cite

COVID-19 and the Environment in Canada: A Narrative Synthesis of Environmental, Behavioural, and Economics Literature. / Fiestas Flores, José Jerico; Adamowicz, Wiktor; Lloyd-Smith, Patrick.
Lasting Disruption: Economic and Social Impacts of COVID-19 on Canada. McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 2025. p. 256-284.

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Contribution to book/anthology › Research › peer review

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  title = "COVID-19 and the Environment in Canada: A Narrative Synthesis of Environmental, Behavioural, and Economics Literature",
  abstract = "This short paper explores economic studies that analyze how covid-19 affected the environment in Canada. We conducted a literature search and found thirty-six studies that use economic and quantitative methods to assess the effects of covid-19 on air quality, water quality, climate change, biodiversity, and other environmental dimensions. We classified these studies into four groups depending on the effects they explore: i) Effects on environmental quality, ii) effects on waste generation, iii) effects on consumption and iv) effects on housing markets. The first group focuses on changes in air, land, or water quality caused by the lockdowns, while the second group analyzes the waste created by household and different sectors. The third group examines the changes in goods and services consumption, including changes in recreation activities. The last group explores the changes in housing markets produced bychanges in the valuation of environmental attributes (e.g. landscape, green areas) during the pandemic. ",
  author = "{Fiestas Flores}, {Jos{\'e} Jerico} and Wiktor Adamowicz and Patrick Lloyd-Smith",
  year = "2025",
  month = dec,
  day = "22",
  language = "English",
  isbn = "0228027543",
  pages = "256--284",
  booktitle = "Lasting Disruption",
  publisher = "McGill-Queen's Univ. Press"
}