Air Pollution Dramatically Halves in New York City as Coronavirus Lockdowns Take Place
Cities around the world are reporting more than fifty percent less emissions of carbon dioxide than usual.
As Coronavirus lockdown measures force people to stay in and work from home, cities around the world are reporting dramatic falls in air pollution.
New York City, London and Rome are among the cities that have seen changes to their levels of air pollution.
As people stay indoors, levels of traffic have fallen rapidly. Now reports say New York City has seen carbon monoxide emissions decline more than 50 percent below typical levels.
"We’ve never seen anything like the drop we saw starting last Friday," Roisin Commane, an assistant professor at Columbia, told the New York Times. "We often see dips during weekends or over holidays, but this is completely different."
It’s a similar story around the world as the Coronavirus continues to change people’s everyday routines. The potentially dangerous ultra-fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, is half its usual level in London, whilst cities including Rome and Milan have also reported their concentrations of air pollution have dropped by 50 percent.
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