Chinese Pollution Dramatically Reduced Because of the Coronavirus

Images from NASA shows that the toxic cloud that used to be over China is gone. The explanation for this is the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

 Almost 87,000 Chinese have been reported contaminated by the virus and 2978 have died. .Millions of Chinese people are quarantined because of the virus.

The mass quarantine has led to a dramatic reduction of emissions of the toxic gas carbon oxide, and satellite images comparing the cloud over China from January 2019 and February 2020 shows a dramatic reduction of the cloud. In the east and central of China, the emissions from powerplants and traffic have lessened with 10 to 30 percent. 

Researchers believe that this is because of how the coronavirus effects travel and industries. 

“This is the first time I see such a dramatic reduction over such a big area because of one single phenomenon,” says Fei Liu, researcher of air quality at NASA.

The emissions are normally reduced during the Chinese New Year when factories are closed, but it’s nothing compared to the latest reduction of carbon oxide. 

“I am not surprised,” says Liu, “Many cities all over China have taken measures against the spread of the coronavirus.”

This may be the first good news that we have heard about the coronavirus.