How Has Coronavirus Reduced Air Pollution?

Coronavirus continues to cause disruption across the globe, throwing scores of countries into quarantine and claiming the lives of almost 100,000 people to date. But while health services steel themselves for a battle to save as many people as possible and scientists continue to pursue innovative ways to tackle the spread of the virus, there may be one small silver lining to the crisis.

According to data gathered by air quality monitoring systems throughout the world, pollution has dropped off since the beginning of the outbreak. This is largely down to the lockdown measures in place in plenty of affected countries, meaning that fewer vehicles are on the road and fewer industries are consuming power. While containing COVID-19 remains of paramount concern, the improved air quality is one small consolation in a dark and difficult time.

Chinese prosperity

As the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan City in Hubei Province has been making headlines for the last three months for all the wrong reasons. However, the 11 million residents of this Chinese metropolis finally have something to be positive about, as its lockdown ended this week after being in place for a staggering 76 days. The government had imposed strict restrictions on movement, with the majority of people confined to their homes for more than two months.

For those only just now emerging outside, the air they breathe may feel markedly healthier than it has for some time – and that’s not only due to the extended period of isolation. The absence of cars on the city’s streets for the entirety of February meant that the country experienced a 21.5% increase in the number of “good quality air days” in that month. The difference was nowhere more noticeable than in Wuhan.

European cities following suit

Those improvements in air quality weren’t just confined to China. The air quality in cities across Europe has also seen a marked improvement, with the contaminant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in particular decline. In the Spanish capital of Madrid, NO2 levels fell by 56% week-on-week, while similar reductions were recorded in Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan and Paris. The UK, which introduced its own quarantine guidelines later than mainland Europe, is expected to see its own air quality improvements in the coming weeks.

It’s not only NO2 that has been in decline, either. Carbon monoxide (CO) readings from New York have been almost halved compared with data gathered in 2019, while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have also fallen significantly. Unsurprisingly, China was once again the biggest barometer of change; from the 3^rd February to the 1^st March, the country emitted around 30% less CO2, which is the equivalent to around 200 million tonnes of carbon. That’s good news in terms of human health and the environment, with the virus perhaps gifting us a rare insight into what a low-carbon future might look like.