Governments worldwide have ordered billions of people to stay in their residential areas to contain the virus. Some governments, such as China and Italy, had placed millions of people under strict lockdown. As a result, the world has witnessed a pause in pollution, something it hasn’t experienced in so many years.
Whereas many forms of pollution have declined substantially since the onset of the pandemic, air pollution has recorded the most significant decline. Global reports indicate that air pollution has dropped by 25% during the first month of the pandemic. Primarily because of the reduction in travel and production. In China alone, the nation has recorded a 30% and 50% decline in carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. Following a reduction in air pollution, the world is relatively less vulnerable to climate change, and other associated problems of air pollution.
Better still, the world has arguably experienced the best air quality in the recent past. European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have been monitoring air pollution during the first phase of the pandemic. The two bodies concluded that carbon emissions had dropped significantly, and the world is enjoying the best possible air quality.