Carbon dioxide emissions around the world could fall by the largest amount since World War II this year, scientists have said, as the coronavirus outbreak brings economies to a virtual standstill.
As commuters are urged to stay at home, air quality in cities has also improved. Dr Clare Noone, climate scientist at NUI Galway, says the air we breathe has a significant impact on our health and the current crisis has shown how important this is. "Satellite data from NASA and the European Space Agency during this pandemic has detected significant decreases in nitrogen dioxide, a gas emitted by vehicles, power plants and industrial emissions across the globe," she said. "Once the crisis has passed, we'll hopefully have learned some lessons about