Air pollution levels have drastically dropped since lockdown measures were put into place in London, Milan, Rome, and Paris. Citizens have been forced to stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19, unless it’s for necessary work, shopping for essentials like medicine and food, or one form of exercise per day. This lockdown has resulted in fewer cars on the road and fewer factories running.
AECOM Senior Air Quality Consultant, Max Nancarrow, said:
The air quality improvements we’re witnessing as a result of the UK’s response to COVID-19 are expected to be temporary; once it’s safe to return to normal activities, we may see a corresponding rise in pollution. However, with an increase in activities such as working from home and the widespread adoption of remote working, it’s possible that long term behaviors could change, and transport emissions could be reduced.
Nitrogen dioxide mostly comes from vehicle exhausts and commercial manufacturing. London has seen a considerable drop in levels of NO2 along with levels of particulate matter, coming from burning fuel and road transport. Researchers say the city’s particulate matter, PM2.5, is currently around 50% less than it would generally be at this time of year. They based their information on average measurements taken from the past five years.
Data analyzed from the London Air Quality Network found that both pollutants have dropped by around half since mid-February, according to the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). At the same time, the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite has verified NO2 pollutant levels over London are noticeably lower than in March 2019.
Other European cities are experiencing similar reductions in air pollution. For example, in Rome and Milan, pollutant concentration has dropped by 50%, while air pollution in Paris dropped by 30%, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Alastair Lewis, a professor from the University of York, said:
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. This is primarily a consequence of lower traffic volumes, and some of the clearest reductions have been in nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhaust.
While the data shows reductions in air pollution, what is uncertain is what will happen when things return to normal. Will some people stay at home more because they found a new hobby? Or will everything go back to how it was before? What do you think?
