Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Air Pollution: A Global Comparative Analysis

Version 1 : Received: 26 October 2022 / Approved: 27 October 2022 / Online: 27 October 2022 (08:06:26 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Akan, A.P.; Coccia, M. Changes of Air Pollution between Countries Because of Lockdowns to Face COVID-19 Pandemic. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 12806. Akan, A.P.; Coccia, M. Changes of Air Pollution between Countries Because of Lockdowns to Face COVID-19 Pandemic. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 12806.

Abstract

The goal of this study is to develop a global analysis, based on data from 2015 to 2022, that clarifies the impact of containment policies (e.g., lockdown and quarantine) for Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) on the air pollution between countries of different continents. In this context, average changes of CO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations based on measurements at ground level in January, February, and March for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 are compared with average values of 2015-2018 period between 300 cities of 19 countries in 5 continents. Results show that the maximum reduction in pollutant concentrations during this period is given by: CO (-4,367.5%) in France, NO2 (-150.5%) in China and Australia, SO2 (-154.1%) in Israel, O3 (-94.1%) in China, PM2.5 (-41.4%) in Germany and PM10 (-157.4%) in Turkey. Findings reveal that the effects of containment policies on air quality vary significantly between countries depending on different geographical characteristics of regions. This study has main environmental policy implications because it clarifies the critical role of severe control measure to reduce air pollution and support sustainable environment and development.

Keywords

COVID-19 lockdown; Restriction policies; Air pollution; Environmental science; Sustainability.

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.