Air pollution contributes to 9% of deaths globally – this varies from 2% to 15% by country. According to the World Economic Forum, air pollution alone kills 1.25 million people in India annually.
As humans hunkered down indoors early on in the pandemic, the natural world positively thrived. Wild animals roamed empty streets, and nature reclaimed urban areas. In some places, air pollution noticeably reduced during lockdown: pollution levels in China were down an estimated 25% in February, 2020. According to CNN, the TSA reported a 96% drop in air travel in April, while Allstate CEO Thomas Wilson told CNBC in April, 2020 that driving was down between 35% to 50% in the US, depending on the state.
With far fewer planes in the air and cars on the road during strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, cities which were once filled with smog now look like they have much cleaner air.