The confinement apparently was terrible for a large proportion of the population, but not for the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things: we couldn’t leave our houses; we reduced transport (this is very good for the environment because air transport is one of the most polluting sectors); industry, consumption, and contamination were reduced a lot and we could see the difference around the world. 

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) shows from its satellites how the atmosphere is now better and cleaner. (According to the magazine Nature Climate Change, the emissions of CO2 were reduced by 17% around the world during the confinement.)

This drastic reduction of contamination was one of the effects of the pandemic which had a direct impact on the air that we breathe and our health. Some places like Shanghai, Madrid, Venice and other large cities noted the upgrade in their air quality. 

The reduction of the pollution was good during the confinement, but the International Energy Agency (IEA) hopes that 2021 is the year with the least pollution ever. Having clean air benefits everybody, now and in the future and it’s our responsibility.