As most of us have been on lockdown these past weeks, the world around us has started to change. Many have not understood the impact that we have had on the environment around us.
Italy’s Canals
According to article source Travel + Leisure, due to there being less boat traffic in the canals due to the coronavirus shut down, the sediment that is churned through the water has finally cleared, and you are now able to see fish swimming throughout them. This lockdown is not just keeping the people inside safe from the virus around them, but also allowing the outdoors a much-needed break from the flood of tourists, thus giving the environment a chance to recharge. With this, a new Facebook group titled, “Venezia Pulita” has emerged as a new hope in cleaning up the city of Venice as the locals share pictures of the now clean canals.
The Change in the Environment
Due to the lessening of travel, the smog in London has died down tremendously. In a recent article posted on Daily Mail, their charts and videos show the overwhelming results that this lockdown has had on the environment. Showing drastic before and after pictures of what landmarks all over the world look like due to less travel. According to the article, they have said the amount of air pollution has drastically dropped with people forced indoors and off of the roads. The U.K.’s amount of “ultra-fine particulate matter,” also known as PM2.5, has also shown a drastic decrease to about half of its normal levels. In graphs shared by the European Space Agency Sentinel-5p satellite shows that the level of pollutions in the air over London is significantly lower than that of last years results. These results are said to be the result of daily life coming to a halt and reduction of air traffic.
It’s Happening in the U.S. Too
Not only are these affects happening in Europe, but they are also happening in the U.S. Air pollution alone actually kills around 4.2 million people each year, a million of these people residing in china. With this, the change in carbon emissions is very clear that scientists are hoping to use these numbers to help forecast what the path for climate change could end up being. With many people working from home or not working at all, it is obvious what needs o be changed.