dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Cities

Air Quality Improves Significantly Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns

  • April 29, 2020
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

COVID-19 lockdowns are depleting air pollution levels even in the world’s most air-polluted cities.

Real-time data from the World Air Quality Index (WAQI) reveal the significant declines in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in a large number of cities in the world.

The graph above from Statista shows the series of NO2 concentration records from February to April of this year. We can see that for all the four cities shown, the overall trend is downward.

A huge chunk of the NO2 that is present in the atmosphere is due to the combustion of fossil fuels. With the sudden drop in demand for fossil fuels due to the lowered economic activity, such declines are only to be expected.

This observation is proof that reducing sources of emissions will yield significant improvements in air quality.

However, it did take virtually the paralysation of the world before these figures can be observed. Of course, such a strict measure is not a practical scenario to consider for the long run as our societal concerns go beyond just sustainability.

Once the lockdowns and other social isolation measures are eased, it is not hard to see that the emissions will be spiking up as quickly as they have been declining.

Fleeting improvements

For this matter, let’s look at more cities and zoom in only for the first half of April 2020, as shown in the graph above. This NO2 concentration data also came from WAQI.

We can see that for most of the cities where lockdowns are still in place, stark differences in NO2 concentrations can be seen compared with the same period in 2019. The difference is notable especially in the city of Delhi in India — among the most air-polluted countries of 2019.

However, for the city of Wuhan — the coronavirus epicentre now working its way back to normality  — we can see that the NO2 concentrations immediately returned as soon as the lockdowns were lifted around the second week, gradually negating the earlier improvements observed in the city. The NO2 levels are quickly converging with the recorded concentrations in 2019.

This brings another key point in sustainability policies. Apart from making sure that our emission efforts will be heavy enough to pack a punch, they should also be consistently implemented in order to ensure that observed declines are maintained.

The global pandemic we are facing right now is a rare event which none of us could have fully prepared for. While we exert our best efforts to flatten the curve and contain the virus, it would also be reasonable to leverage this rare occurrence to look back in our policies — not only those about sustainability practices — and see how we can improve on them after this pandemic.

Our pre-pandemic global greenhouse emission levels are not the kind of ‘normal’ we would want to return to once the lockdowns are lifted. Hopefully, once this pandemic ends, a new era of more sustainable practices driven by all the lessons learned during this period of global scale lockdowns will emerge.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Air Pollution
  • Air Quality
  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Lockdown
  • NO2
dotlah.com

Previous Article
  • Society

Toilet Paper Companies Sees Revenue Spike As Consumers Resort To Panic Buying

  • April 29, 2020
View Post
Next Article
  • Features
  • People

How The Global Novel Coronavirus Pandemic Is Reshaping Modern City Work Culture

  • April 29, 2020
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Cities

Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading

  • dotlah.com
  • September 21, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Technology

Meralco PowerGen’s PacificLight starts up 100 MW fast-response plant in Singapore

  • dotlah.com
  • June 20, 2025
View Post
  • Cities

Renewable energy, carbon credits are priority areas of cooperation for Singapore, Philippines: Lawrence Wong

  • dotlah.com
  • June 4, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Politics

Singapore businesses eye more investments in PH, says PM Wong

  • Dean Marc
  • June 4, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Research

Mathematicians uncover the logic behind how people walk in crowds

  • dotlah.com
  • April 3, 2025
“Toyota Woven City,” a Test Course for Mobility, Completes Phase 1 Construction and Prepares for Launch
View Post
  • Cities
  • Technology

“Toyota Woven City,” a Test Course for Mobility, Completes Phase 1 Construction and Prepares for Launch

  • John Francis
  • January 6, 2025
View Post
  • Cities

Popes were once confined to Rome. Now they travel the world – and Francis’ current journey is particularly significant

  • dotlah.com
  • September 13, 2024
Singapore
View Post
  • Cities
  • Economy

South Africa’s new pension rules: Australia, Chile and Singapore show how personal savings can grow the economy

  • dotlah.com
  • August 30, 2024


Trending
  • 1
    • People
    • World Events
    Coronavirus: Which Countries Are Most Affected?
    • March 5, 2020
  • 2
    • Lah!
    • Society
    NTUC Income Extends COVID-19 Protection To Over 550,000 Individuals In Response To Evolving Outbreak Situation
    • March 18, 2020
  • 3
    • Gears
    The Summer Adventures : Hiking and Nature Walks Essentials
    • June 3, 2025
  • 4
    • Technology
    Why Are Scientists So Excited About A Recently Claimed Quantum Computing Milestone?
    • October 1, 2019
  • 5
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Four Key Takeaways From The SIEW Energy Insights Sessions
    • October 31, 2019
  • goswifties_la-defensa-arena_900 6
    • Featured
    Feel Pulse Of Paris. An Unmatched Concert Venue In La Défense.
    • May 10, 2024
  • 7
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Singapore Unveils Its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
    • November 13, 2019
  • introducing-openai-o1-preview_01 8
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Technology
    Introducing OpenAI o1-preview
    • September 14, 2024
  • 9
    • Lah!
    Creating A Community, Changing Mindsets And Cleaning Up The Seas
    • June 22, 2021
  • copenhagen-denmark-febiyan--hwDGRQzAeM-unsplash 10
    • Cities
    The World’s Safest Cities 2021
    • August 30, 2021
  • japanese-zen-garden-jennifer-goolsby-d9hhl8JXySg-unsplash 11
    • Featured
    • People
    Overcome Laziness With These 7 Japanese Productivity Hacks
    • August 4, 2023
  • 12
    • Lah!
    ​NTU Singapore Researchers Speed Up Gold-standard COVID-19 Diagnostic Test
    • July 29, 2020
Trending
  • Cooking pots and pans 1
    Best Pots and Pans 2025: All-Season, All-Purpose Picks for Every Kitchen
    • September 23, 2025
  • 2
    Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading
    • September 21, 2025
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 3
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 4
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
  • 5
    Apple debuts iPhone 17
    • September 9, 2025
  • Fruits and vegetables for cooking. For food processors. 6
    Food Processor: The Swiss Army Knife of the Kitchen – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 8, 2025
  • 7
    Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet
    • September 4, 2025
  • 8
    Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how
    • August 25, 2025
  • French Fries 9
    Air Fryer: The One Cooking Appliance to Rule Them All – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • August 22, 2025
  • 10
    Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025
    • August 20, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.