Italy’s economic powerhouse hadn’t felt so clean in years. As the
novel coronavirus put the country and the hard-hit region of Lombardia
under lockdown, muting the human and economic buzz, it also unlocked an
unlikely reality: cities with better quality. Above the Earth,
satellites confirmed the slash in air pollutants, as they took snapshots
of the region’s clearer skies, including Milan’s, infamous
for its dangerous air pollution levels, just as many other places in
the world. This March, nitrous oxide was down 38%, particulate matter
14%, and benzene 33% lower, compared to the same month between
2016-2019, data from Lombardia’s environment agency showed.
Madrid, Lisbon, and other cities in Europe also breathed fresher air through their lockdowns. But this silver lining to the global health emergency turns to be short-lived as air pollution is bouncing back once urban economies restart. Cities have been investing to become greener for decades, with mixed results; now, added concern of how dirty air could worsen the spread and fatality of diseases is giving a new push to clean up urban air quickly.
“Air quality has significantly improved since the 1970s”, says Dr. Vincent-Henri Peuch, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). “EU-level and national regulations have regulated pollutants to reduce exposure of people to substances that can harm their health, but it is not enough.” Air pollution remains the biggest environmental risk in Europe, warns the European Environment Agency (EEA), and cities, bulking millions of people, industries, and traffic, still experience levels of pollution that health experts deem harmful.
What’s in the 17kg of air we each breathe daily relies on many factors. In cities, road transport, energy production and use, industrial activities, fuel burning, and natural dust and sea salt are among the main sources loading the atmosphere with harmful pollutants such as nitrous oxide, ground-level ozone, and small particles known as particulate matter (PM).
Read more at: European cities race to clean the air | Euronews
Madrid, Lisbon, and other cities in Europe also breathed fresher air through their lockdowns. But this silver lining to the global health emergency turns to be short-lived as air pollution is bouncing back once urban economies restart. Cities have been investing to become greener for decades, with mixed results; now, added concern of how dirty air could worsen the spread and fatality of diseases is giving a new push to clean up urban air quickly.
“Air quality has significantly improved since the 1970s”, says Dr. Vincent-Henri Peuch, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). “EU-level and national regulations have regulated pollutants to reduce exposure of people to substances that can harm their health, but it is not enough.” Air pollution remains the biggest environmental risk in Europe, warns the European Environment Agency (EEA), and cities, bulking millions of people, industries, and traffic, still experience levels of pollution that health experts deem harmful.
What’s in the 17kg of air we each breathe daily relies on many factors. In cities, road transport, energy production and use, industrial activities, fuel burning, and natural dust and sea salt are among the main sources loading the atmosphere with harmful pollutants such as nitrous oxide, ground-level ozone, and small particles known as particulate matter (PM).
Read more at: European cities race to clean the air | Euronews
