Air pollution is halved in London, Rome and Milan while dropping by up to 30 per cent in Paris after European cities go into lockdown taking countless vehicles off roads
- Nitrogen dioxide and micro particle levels have fallen in London since mid Feb
- Air particle levels are about half of what would be recorded this time of the year
- London Air Quality Network data suggests it's due to lower levels of road traffic
- Nitrogen dioxide pollution is also falling in other major UK cities, data suggests
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
The level of air pollution in London, Rome, Milan and Paris has fallen sharply since coronavirus lockdown measures have forced people indoors and off the roads.
Levels of particulate matter, which come from road transport and burning fuel, as well as nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhausts, are low across London.
The UK capital's levels of ultra-fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, are currently around half that would be normally recorded at this time of year, based on an average of measurements over the past five years, scientists say.
The data from the London Air Quality Network, analysed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, also shows that both pollutants have fallen by around a half since a peak in mid-February.
Analysis of nitrogen dioxide emissions measured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite confirms that levels of the pollutants over London are significantly lower than in March 2019.
Meanwhile, European Environment Agency (EEA) data shows that air pollutant concentrations in Rome and Milan have dropped by 50 per cent, while a Paris air quality monitoring agency recorded up to a 30 per cent decline in pollution.
Nitrogen dioxide levels (top) and particulate matter concentrations (bottom) in London have fallen this year (blue lines) since mid February, but they are also lower than the average for 2015-2019
Geospatial imagery analytics firm Descartes processed data from the Sentinel-5P satellite and compared it with March 12-22 of last year, showing that levels of NO2 in London have dipped dramatically year-on-year
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As daily life grinds to a halt in the UK due to restricted movement to control the spread of COVID-19, air quality has improved due to a sharp reduction in traffic.
These promising early signs suggest air pollution could be falling across UK cities while the pandemic goes on.
‘Air quality has started to improve in many UK cities, mirroring what has been seen in other countries that have restricted travel and levels of outdoor activity,’ said Professor Alastair Lewis, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of York.
A layer of smog is seen over the skyline of Canary Wharf in London in late February last year
London's financial district in Canary Wharf, London, as captured on Wednesday, March 25, 2020
‘This is primarily a consequence of lower traffic volumes, and some of the most clear reductions have been in nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhaust.
‘However fine particles (PM2.5) have also reduced significantly.
‘In London for example, PM2.5 is noticeably lower than would be expected for this time of year at the roadside, and these reductions stretch through into the suburbs as well.’
Professor Lewis said it's especially important to consider how PM2.5 levels have changed compared to what is normally seen at this time of year.
'Air pollution is noisy, changing with weather and so on,' he said.
'It's really best to compare where we are now against where we might have expected to be based on previous years.'
London Air Quality Network, a King’s College London project, comprises more than 100 continuous monitoring sites in the majority of London’s 33 boroughs.
The data shows that PM2.5 levels in the capital are currently about half those seen on average from 2015 to 2019, as measured in micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) per cubic meter air (µg/m3).
These fine inhalable particles have diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.
The average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter – making PM2.5 about 30 times larger than the largest fine particle.
Data from the London Air Quality Network shows that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate Matter (PM2.5) levels have fallen in London since mid-February
Before the lockdown, this is what you would expect to see at the Arc de Triump in Paris. Busy roads and smoggy skies have both cleared up in recent weeks
Clear sky and empty roads: The Arc de Triumph in Paris and the roundabout it's on is usually one of the busiest roads in the city
It is not yet clear what the health impacts of reductions in air pollution, which causes an estimated 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year, will be.
Air pollution is linked to health problems including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory diseases and infections, as well as stunting the growth of children's lungs.
Professor William Collins, professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, said a large amount of the air pollution that is breathed in comes from traffic.
And as levels of traffic pollution have plummeted with many countries in lockdown, exposure to pollutants is reduced by people staying off the streets and in their homes.
Satellite images of Europe show the drop in pollution. Top: Pollution levels in January, before countries started going into lockdown. Bottom: March 11, after many countries in Europe have locked down
Nitrogen dioxide is primarily emitted from vehicle exhausts, so this reduction is likely to be caused by lower levels of traffic in the city. The sources of particulate matter are more varied, ranging from road transport to fuel burning
‘It is too early to say whether these improvements will offset any of the mortality from COVID-19, or other health problems due to being confined indoors,’ Professor Collins said.
The study also warned that the fall in pollution levels – which depends on a variety of factors from human activity to local weather – is not necessarily mirrored in rural parts of the UK.
Some rural areas, including the town of Narberth in west Wales and the Scottish village of Eskdalemuir, saw peaks in nitrogen dioxide on Monday, according to Environment Agency data.
The government agency has created a series of interactive graphs that show the last seven days of hourly average nitrogen dioxide measurements – many of which appear to have risen in the last two days.
But these figures could help scientists identify a specific cause of lower nitrogen dioxide levels that’s related to measures to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Elsewhere in Europe, there is more evidence that government measures to discourage or prevent citizens from leaving their homes – including police patrols to break up mass gatherings – are leading to decreases in pollution levels.
The Paris skies behind the Eiffel Tower are often smoggy. The iconic tower was closed on 13 March due to the spread of COVID-19
View of the Eiffel Tower and the empty Pont d'Iena shows how Paris's skies have cleared up since France went into lock down to slow the spread of the coronavirus
France's stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus outbreak have produced a 20 to 30 percent decline in overall air pollution levels in Paris, according to a report from the region's air quality monitoring agency.
France's lockdown has taken countless cars and delivery trucks off the roads since coming into effect on March 17, and massively reduced the number of flights at the two airports serving the capital.
The Airparif report said that just two days after the self-confinement began, it registered 'a 20 to 30 percent improvement in air quality in the Paris metropolis, after nitrogen oxide emissions dropped by more than 60 percent.'
The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) data has confirmed a large decrease in air pollutant concentrations - in particular of nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
NASA satellite images have already revealed dramatic reductions in concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in China and northern Italy, coinciding with lockdowns there.
Other footage from the European Space Agency Copernicus satellite reveals a 'notable drop' in air pollution over Italy after the coronavirus lockdown.
ESA shared an animation that showed a significant change in the pollution levels over Italy between January and March, particularly over Po Valley in the north.
Before and after lockdown. Left: Before, pollution in Europe is visibly widespread, particularly in northern Italy and over major cities. Right: As major cities have gone into lockdown, pollution levels have reduced
Revealed: MailOnline dissects the impact greenhouse gases have on the planet - and what is being done to stop air pollution
Emissions
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. After the gas is released into the atmosphere it stays there, making it difficult for heat to escape - and warming up the planet in the process.
It is primarily released from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, as well as cement production.
The average monthly concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere, as of April 2019, is 413 parts per million (ppm). Before the Industrial Revolution, the concentration was just 280 ppm.
CO2 concentration has fluctuated over the last 800,000 years between 180 to 280ppm, but has been vastly accelerated by pollution caused by humans.
Nitrogen dioxide
The gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) comes from burning fossil fuels, car exhaust emissions and the use of nitrogen-based fertilisers used in agriculture.
Although there is far less NO2 in the atmosphere than CO2, it is between 200 and 300 times more effective at trapping heat.
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) also primarily comes from fossil fuel burning, but can also be released from car exhausts.
SO2 can react with water, oxygen and other chemicals in the atmosphere to cause acid rain.
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an indirect greenhouse gas as it reacts with hydroxyl radicals, removing them. Hydroxyl radicals reduce the lifetime of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Particulates
What is particulate matter?
Particulate matter refers to tiny parts of solids or liquid materials in the air.
Some are visible, such as dust, whereas others cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Materials such as metals, microplastics, soil and chemicals can be in particulate matter.
Particulate matter (or PM) is described in micrometres. The two main ones mentioned in reports and studies are PM10 (less than 10 micrometres) and PM2.5 (less than 2.5 micrometres).
Air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels, cars, cement making and agriculture
Scientists measure the rate of particulates in the air by cubic metre.
Particulate matter is sent into the air by a number of processes including burning fossil fuels, driving cars and steel making.
Why are particulates dangerous?
Particulates are dangerous because those less than 10 micrometres in diameter can get deep into your lungs, or even pass into your bloodstream. Particulates are found in higher concentrations in urban areas, particularly along main roads.
Health impact
What sort of health problems can pollution cause?
According to the World Health Organization, a third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease can be linked to air pollution.
Some of the effects of air pollution on the body are not understood, but pollution may increase inflammation which narrows the arteries leading to heart attacks or strokes.
As well as this, almost one in 10 lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by air pollution.
Particulates find their way into the lungs and get lodged there, causing inflammation and damage. As well as this, some chemicals in particulates that make their way into the body can cause cancer.
Deaths from pollution
Around seven million people die prematurely because of air pollution every year. Pollution can cause a number of issues including asthma attacks, strokes, various cancers and cardiovascular problems.
Asthma triggers
Air pollution can cause problems for asthma sufferers for a number of reasons. Pollutants in traffic fumes can irritate the airways, and particulates can get into your lungs and throat and make these areas inflamed.
Problems in pregnancy
Women exposed to air pollution before getting pregnant are nearly 20 per cent more likely to have babies with birth defects, research suggested in January 2018.
Living within 3.1 miles (5km) of a highly-polluted area one month before conceiving makes women more likely to give birth to babies with defects such as cleft palates or lips, a study by University of Cincinnati found.
For every 0.01mg/m3 increase in fine air particles, birth defects rise by 19 per cent, the research adds.
Previous research suggests this causes birth defects as a result of women suffering inflammation and 'internal stress'.
What is being done to tackle air pollution?
Paris agreement on climate change
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change.
It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2°C (3.6ºF) 'and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F)'.
Carbon neutral by 2050
The UK government has announced plans to make the country carbon neutral by 2050.
They plan to do this by planting more trees and by installing 'carbon capture' technology at the source of the pollution.
Some critics are worried that this first option will be used by the government to export its carbon offsetting to other countries.
International carbon credits let nations continue emitting carbon while paying for trees to be planted elsewhere, balancing out their emissions.
No new petrol or diesel vehicles by 2040
In 2017, the UK government announced the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be banned by 2040.
However, MPs on the climate change committee have urged the government to bring the ban forward to 2030, as by then they will have an equivalent range and price.
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change. Pictured: air pollution over Paris in 2019.
Norway's electric car subsidies
The speedy electrification of Norway's automotive fleet is attributed mainly to generous state subsidies. Electric cars are almost entirely exempt from the heavy taxes imposed on petrol and diesel cars, which makes them competitively priced.
A VW Golf with a standard combustion engine costs nearly 334,000 kroner (34,500 euros, $38,600), while its electric cousin the e-Golf costs 326,000 kroner thanks to a lower tax quotient.
Criticisms of inaction on climate change
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has said there is a 'shocking' lack of Government preparation for the risks to the country from climate change.
The committee assessed 33 areas where the risks of climate change had to be addressed – from flood resilience of properties to impacts on farmland and supply chains – and found no real progress in any of them.
The UK is not prepared for 2°C of warming, the level at which countries have pledged to curb temperature rises, let alone a 4°C rise, which is possible if greenhouse gases are not cut globally, the committee said.
It added that cities need more green spaces to stop the urban 'heat island' effect, and to prevent floods by soaking up heavy rainfall.
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