It’s hard to believe, but the recent outbreak of COVID-19 has caused some positive changes, in addition to the worldwide panic. According to several reports, Britain, Italy, China, and other countries under quarantine are experiencing nothing short of a miracle – their air pollution is rapidly decreasing!
Experts say that reducing the number of people driving on roads was a major factor in curbing pollution. Nothing is certain at the time, as the pollution levels vary depending on the weather, but of course, the fewer cars there are out there, the faster the smog will disperse. And since everyone’s sitting at home doing nothing, it shows that we can give the Earth a day off when we want to.
At all 165 sites in the UK, which are regularly monitored by the Department of the Environment, Food, and Agriculture, the pollution levels are “low.” Similar occurrences have been reported in major cities of Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. And even in China the air quality is much more better now.
Satellite systems show a visible decrease in nitrogen dioxide emissions just days after the introduction of quarantine in Italy and China. Data from the European Space Agency also show a sharp reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions over northern Italy – the epicenter of the outbreak in the country. And looking at Spain, we also see that emission levels are starting to drop there. The current measurements for Madrid show much lower concentrations than usual, which is awesome!
But what’s really amazing is that water in Venician canals has become crystal clear to the point where people are taking pictures of the fish! These canals are usually pretty muddy, but as we can see, if you let the sediments settle, you can help the local ecosystem recover.
All in all, this virus seems to be doing us more good than bad. Maybe there should be a “stay at home” week every year? What do you say?
