Main image via Straits Times + IQAir
When the world was first put into lockdown last year thanks to the pandemic, we saw many changes in our surroundings as Mother Nature slowly claimed back what was hers.
The air was clearer, pollution levels dropped, the Himalayas were visible in India for the first time in 30 years, dolphins, turtles, and various other animals were appearing all over, it was a great time for nature while humans stayed home.
Reduced traffic and industry shutdowns also had another positive side as a recent study has found that there had been a significant decrease in the number of global deaths cause by air pollution.
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Published in Science Advances, the study used satellite imagery and ground measurements to monitor air quality in 36 countries across North America, Europe and Asia.
Due to the stay-at-home orders and other lockdown measures implemented around the world, the study found that there was a 50% decrease in the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air we breathe.
For those of you who don’t know, nitrogen dioxide is an emission that is most heavily linked to vehicle traffic and coal-burning power plants.
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With the decline in the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air, the study found that there was a decrease of 95,000 premature deaths due to air pollution in 2020, compared with the previous year.
The study’s findings showed the impact of lockdowns, mainly seen in East Asia with China – the world’s biggest polluter – accounting for 80% of the reduction in deaths.
Overall, the pandemic lockdowns are believed to have resulted in a 30% drop in microscopic particulate matter released into the air through burning fuel.
However, scientists noted that the impact on pollution from particulates other than nitrogen dioxide was not as great as first thought.
“Although the Covid-19 related lockdowns brough significant reductions in economic activities, air pollution levels did not decrease as much as had been speculated at first,” study co-author Guillaume Chaussiere, a researcher at MIT said.
“Primary pollution [from] nitrogen dioxide had the largest decreases and associated health benefits, but, with the notable exception of China, secondary air pollution [from[ fine particulates and ozone did not bring significant health benefits,” the co-author added.
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With so much negativity surrounding Covid-19 and the pandemic, it’s nice to know that there are some good things that came out of it too.
Though it’s tough, the lockdowns not only serve to benefit our health and safety, it also helped our planet in a big way.
Hopefully we’ll be able to keep this lesson in mind and do all we can to save the planet, while we can.
Info via UNILAD