Monitoring the impact of climate extremes and COVID-19 on statewise sentiment alterations in water pollution complaints

5Citations
Citations of this article
14Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated prevention policies can directly or indirectly alter the sentiment of individuals while registering water pollution complaints, but observational evidence remains limited. Here, we conducted a sentiment analysis on over 10,000 water pollution complaints from residents in Alabama, USA (2012–2021) to better understand how and to what extent COVID-19 has altered emotion (polarity score-based) and attitude (subjectivity) of water pollution complaints. We found that the 2017 state-wise drought significantly increased the percentage of negative water pollution complaints by +35%, with no significant alternation in attitude before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since COVID-19, the percentage of negative and subjective water pollution complaints significantly decreased and increased by −30 and +20%, respectively, and these sentiment alternations were maintained by 2021. This study provides a new direction for environmental governance and management, requiring a timely response to changes in the public’s emotions and attitudes during the next climate extremes and pandemics.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Liu, A., Kam, J., Kwon, S. Y., & Shao, W. (2023). Monitoring the impact of climate extremes and COVID-19 on statewise sentiment alterations in water pollution complaints. Npj Clean Water, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-023-00244-y

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free