Countries and regions
under strict lockdowns
to stop the spread
of the coronavirus
have less pollution,
visible from space.
Industrial sites and
factories closed.
Cars and trucks
stayed off the roads.
Air pollution
dropped
dramatically.
Especially air pollution
over China (see chart)
and northern Italy
between
December 2019
and March 2020.
Images from the
European Space
Agency’s
Copernicus satellite
show that nitrogen
dioxide emissions
—a serious air pollutant --
fell by 40%
over Chinese cities
between Dec. 20, 2019,
and March 16, 2020.
“As nitrogen dioxide
is primarily produced
by traffic and factories,
it is a first-level indicator
of industrial activity
worldwide,”
Josef Aschbacher,
ESA’s director of Earth
Observation Programmes,
said in a statement.
“What is clearly visible
is a significant reduction
of nitrogen dioxide levels
over China, caused by
reduced activity due to
COVID-19 restrictions,
but also the Chinese
New Year in January.”
The initial drop
coincided with
Lunar New Year
celebrations,
a national holiday
which usually sees
a drop in emissions
each year.
But this year’s decline
lasted longer than usual
as Chinese authorities
imposed lockdowns
to contain the virus.