Satellites reveal plummeting pollution during lockdown

Dramatic reductions in air pollution – a so-called “silver lining” noted around the world during the coronavirus lockdowns – are evident in photos recently released by the U.S. space agency NASA.

The boost in air quality can be seen in aerial images of Guadalajara (with Lake Chapala outlined below it), Mexico City, Los Angeles and many other areas.

Large drops in car, truck and plane traffic as well as industrial production, all associated with Covid-19 lockdown, are said to be responsible for the dramatic improvements in air quality. Some of the most dramatic images are from India, where appalling air pollution tops other parts of the world. Observers there said that sometimes changes were evident in early April, after only a week of lockdown, and that in Northern India, polluting aerosol levels plummeted to a 20-year low.

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