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Air pollution -

In 2018, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 93% of all children under the age of 15 are breathing toxic, polluted air.

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Air pollution -

Since the outbreak began, and with many countries going into lockdown, there are substantially less cars, airplanes, and vessels in motion.

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China's air quality -

NASA observed a drop in pollution levels over China’s Hubei province since the outbreak began.

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China's air quality -

An air quality researcher at NASA’s Goddard space flight center said: “This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.”

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Greenhouse gas emissions -

Carbon Brief reported that China’s CO2 emissions were reduced by a quarter due to the pandemic.

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Life-saving pollution reduction -

Environmental resource economist Marshall Burke calculates that two months of pollution reduction in China has probably saved the lives of 4,000 children under five and 73,000 adults over 70 (which would otherwise have been affected by high levels of pollution).

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Airports -

On March 10, 2020, the Airport Council International reported a 13.5% drop in airport passenger footfall.

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Flights -

With more airlines canceling flights all over the world, this number will likely increase.

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Traffic -

On March 11, 2020, Spain’s Directorate General for Traffic reported a 14.3% drop in Madrid’s rush hour traffic.

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Traffic -

Traffic in New York City dropped 35%, and emissions of carbon monoxide have consequently gone down substantially.

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Nitrogen dioxide emissions drop in Italy -

Claus Zehner, European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, said: "The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the Po Valley in northern Italy is particularly evident."

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Venice -

Images of clear water in Venice's canals have appeared on the Internet. No boat traffic and the absence of tourists seems to have made an impact on water quality.

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Fake animal videos -

Though many fake “wildlife returning” videos have gone viral. While Venice waters are indeed much cleaner, the news of animals such as swans and dolphins swimming there are fake.

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Fake animal videos -

According to National Geographic, the viral footage of swans was actually captured in the canals of Burano, where they are regulars. And the videos of the dolphins swimming were captured in Sardinia.

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Thailand -

Macaques at Phra Prang Sam Yot monkey temple are used to being fed by tourists. Since tourists are no longer visiting the temple, the animals are behaving more aggressively.

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Side effects of feeding the monkeys -

Asmita Sengupta, an ecologist at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment in Bangalore, India, says: “Once they get used to being fed by humans, they become habituated to humans and even display hyper-aggression if they are not given food.”

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Japan -

Sika deer at Nara Park no longer have tourists to feed them rice crackers and take selfies. As a result, the animals started wandering the streets looking for food.

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Medical waste -

As more and more countries provide medical care for victims, and the population in general uses more disposable face masks and other materials, medical waste has soared.

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Medical waste -

China, for instance, has been dealing with tonnes of discarded face masks and medical waste.

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Medical waste -

In Wuhan alone, the volume of medical waste quadrupled to over 200 tonnes a day.

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Discarded face masks -

Hundreds of masks are piling up on Hong Kong's beaches.

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Discarded face masks -

Gary Stokes, founder of the environmental group Oceans Asia, alerted: “We only have had masks for the last six to eight weeks, in a massive volume... we are now seeing the effect on the environment.”

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Pollution in South Africa -

There are also concerns over the use of sanitizers and disinfectants, as these can be toxic for the environment when not disposed of properly.

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Pollution in South Africa -

The chemical products, wipes, and plastic bottles may end up in landfills or directly in streams and rivers.

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Double-edged sword -

Global oil demand is expected to decline, but as more people stay at home, energy consumption will likely rise.

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Home entertainment -

Lockdowns and quarantines mean people are using more electricity and more Internet.

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Internet world record -

On March 11, 2020, DE-CIX reported a new world record: over 9 terabits per second data throughput at Frankfurt Internet Exchange. This makes it the Internet Exchange with the most data throughput worldwide.

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Internet -

Internet providers have seen a surge in demand. For example, Vodafone reported a 50% rise in Internet use in Europe.

See also: The businesses profiting from the coronavirus pandemic.

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