Quarantine decreases pollution
It is an unintended and even unexpected benefit caused indirectly by the new coronavirus in some of the most affected countries. Satellite images show a sharp reduction in pollution levels in China between January and February. The same has happened in Europe, especially in northern Italy, since the quarantine was decreed.
With the streets more empty, the factories stopping and a reduction in transport in circulation, the air you breathe is also changing. A change in the outlook due to the pandemic caused by the covid-19.
A NASA air quality researcher says, "It is the first time that I have seen such a dramatic drop in such a wide area caused by a specific event."
In China, satellite images released by NASA and the European Special Agency (ESA) collected between January and February showed a drastic reduction in emissions of nitrogen dioxide - or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) that is released mainly by vehicles and factories - in the largest Chinese cities.
The same pattern appears when analyzing the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), which results from the incineration of fossil fuels, namely coal. One of the elements that helped to reduce pollution levels was also the drop in emissions due to the reduction in domestic flights.
When comparing images from 2019, between the beginning of January and the end of February, and from 2020 at the same time, the differences are clear. The space agency concluded that the period coincides with that in which transport and industry have been restricted as a result of the quarantine of millions of employees.
An equally drastic reduction was recorded in Italy following the quarantine of that country to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. ESA images show a strong reduction in NO2, especially in northern Italy.
It is a paradox, but the decrease in pollution levels - prompted by measures to combat the new coronavirus, may have saved 77,000 people.
Sources: dn.pt
Rtp.pt
28 from March from 2020
Catarina MirandaAdministrative Assistent
The world emits less than one million tons of CO2 per day
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