With the world battling the COVID-19 pandemic, and a quarter of the population under lockdown, there have emerged some positive benefits when it comes to the environment.
Emissions fall in China as blue skies emerge
Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 first emerged, is one of the world’s biggest industrial cities. Since the city has been in lockdown, CO2 emissions have fallen dramatically and residents have reported seeing blue skies.
With factories and industrial hubs shut down, coal use has fallen by 40% at China’s biggest power plants, compared to 2019 and the days with “good quality air” have increased by 11.4%.
NASA satellite footage has captured this significant shift, showing a major drop in nitrogen dioxide in China.
Nitrogen dioxide over #China has dropped with the coronavirus quarantine, Chinese New Year, and a related economic slowdown. https://t.co/URfLNy0GZJ #NASA #COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/PM60uL772K
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) March 4, 2020
Canals in Venice clear up
With the city in lockdown and tourists dispersed, the pollution in Venice’s canals has cleared up, revealing crystal clear waters for the first time in years.
London sees major drop in pollution
As the number of cars in London’s streets dwindle, scientists have discovered air pollution has halved. Data captured by the London Air Quality Network shows pollutants falling about 50% since mid-February.
“Air quality has started to improve in many UK cities, mirroring what has been seen in other countries that have restricted travel and levels of outdoor activity,’ said Professor Alastair Lewis, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of York.