There have been a lot of unintended consequences from new coronavirus rules and regulations, and one very positive one has been its effect on the environment.
With people all around the world (including NYC) staying indoors, not utilizing transportation or partaking in other activities that lead to greenhouse gas emissions and general pollution, most major cities have seen a steep decline in pollutants.
According to an article on NBC News, one environmental non-profit has been tracking air quality in San Francisco, New York City and Seattle online here, comparing stats to the same time last year. According to the measurements, the average concentration of fine particulate matter in the air in New York City was 28 percent lower over the last five days than it was last year.
In San Francisco it dropped by a drastic 40%, and in Seattle by 32%.
Of course, experts remind that when things do go back to normal, we could go right back to where we started if we don’t make more serious changes.
Jacqueline Klopp, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia University here in NYC, told NBC:
“As we move to restart these economies, we need to use this moment to think about what we value. Do we want to go back to the status quo, or do we want to tackle these big structural problems and restructure our economy and reduce emissions and pollution?”
featured image source: Shutterstock