It seems that the pandemic is already leading to huge reductions in air pollution in those regions that have been significantly affected by COVID-19--such as China and Italy--as industry, aviation and other forms of transport grind to a halt.

"Air pollution levels as observed by satellite are showing drastic improvements in many areas that have been undergoing restrictive quarantines due to COVID-19," Peter DeCarlo, an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told Newsweek.

"Both China and Italy industrial areas are showing strong drops in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) corresponding to reductions in industrial activity and vehicular traffic. This isn't surprising given that vehicles and industry are the main source of NO2 and when these sources are essentially turned off, the atmosphere will clear up relatively quickly," he said. [...]

[R]eductions in electricity consumption can potentially have a significant impact on emissions.

"It partly depends on where the drops occur and the energy mix in those areas, or the types of fuels used to generate that electricity," Christie Klimas, an environmental scientist at DePaul University in Chicago, told Newsweek.

"If the mix is predominantly coal, that will have a bigger pollution reduction impact than a more renewable mix of wind, solar, hydropower and nuclear, where pollution is already low," she said. "So reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants will have the most pollution reduction. And the energy mix is high in coal in areas like West Virginia." [...]

"In the long term, there are lots of folks talking about how the COVID-19 pandemic holds lessons and opportunities for environmental action," Davis told Newsweek. "For example, we will have a new baseline of what's possible to do online: telecommute, educate, shop, etcetera. And to the extent our government, institutions, and social networks succeed by coming together, we may feel more empowered to take on daunting issues like climate change and a transition to sustainable energy sources.