Pollution and fossil fuel levels have dropped dramatically, as countries are trying to contain the spread of the new Coronavirus. In less than a few months, the world has already transformed.

In the city of Wuhan, China, where the virus began, strict lockdowns have been implemented for months. Citizens can only leave your house for essential needs. In Italy, a similar lockdown has been implemented, the strictest since World War Two. In the US, the stay at home order is happening state by state. All of these lockdowns are aimed to control the spread of COVID-19, but these lockdowns have also had some unexpected effects. In Aspen, there are ways our community is being impacted by the coronavirus as well. There are fewer tourists, which brings less fossil fuel emissions to the town from cars and planes.

In New York City, pollution has been reduced by 50% because of factories shutting down and travel restrictions to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. In China, fossil fuel emissions fell by 25% at the start of the year as factories shut down. The number of days with “good quality” air increased by 11.4% in cities across China. Satellite images are also showing a drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions over Italy. A global pandemic shouldn’t be seen as the only way of bringing environmental change. Will these environmental impacts open people’s eyes during and after the pandemic, or will the pollution return just as it was before?

Not only are fossil fuel emissions dropping, but animals are returning to their natural habitat. In Venice, Italy, the dolphins, fish, and swans are swimming into the canals again. The lack of tourism has allowed these animals to return.

In Wuhan, China, locals are starting to hear birds chirp again. This is also because of the drop in fossil fuel emissions and tourism. Officials believe that the emissions will only drop 0.3%, which is significantly less than the economic crash of 2008-2009.

The OECD, a global organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, predicted that the global economy will still grow in 2020, even though growth predictions have fallen by half due to COVID-19. But even with those numbers, researcher Glen Peters from the Center for International Climate and Environment Research has noted that we will most likely see a drop of 0.3% in global emissions. This could give us the opportunity to spend more time stimulating the economy towards efforts in clean energy and have less of a rebound in fossil fuel emissions. The coronavirus is a dark and scary time but spreads light on how actions like temporarily closing factories can make a huge difference in combating the climate crisis.