What can we do to preserve our cleaner air?
In the past weeks, there have been dozens of scientific papers and thousands of news articles that focus on the links between this pandemic and air pollution. Dramatic work lockdowns and decreases in travel and in industry have significantly reduced air pollution to unexpectedly low levels. Major cities that suffer from the world's worst air pollution have seen reductions of deadly particulate matter by up to 60 percent from the previous year. Cities studied, including New Delhi, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Wuhan and Mumbai, saw significant improvements in air quality as a result of the quarantines. Satellite images of the U.S. have revealed dramatic changes across the country and especially in the northeast. People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in decades as the lockdown eases air pollution.