Coronavirus: British environment flourishing during lockdown
New data shows huge drop in air pollution in UK cities

The UK coronavirus lockdown has resulted in significant drops in air pollution levels in cities across the country, newly released data shows.
Statistics from the Leeds-based National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) show marked reductions in levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5) in many urban areas, with levels of toxic pollutants expected to fall even further as the shutdown continues.
“If you look at traffic volumes, they’re still going down. And so we probably haven’t reached the bottom yet,” said NCAS director of science Professor Ally Lewis. “A few days ago, we were talking about journeys by car going down by about a third, and now it’s nearly a 50%-60% reduction.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Why is pollution dropping?
The trend in the UK “mirrors that seen across continental Europe as people have spent less time in vehicles, offices and factories and more time at home” as a result of lockdown measures aimed at curbing the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, says the BBC.
Scientists have recorded an especially steep drop in levels of NO2, which is “produced from car engines, power plants and other industrial processes and is thought to exacerbate respiratory illnesses such as asthma”, explains The Guardian.
“While not a greenhouse gas itself, the pollutant originates from the same activities and industrial sectors that are responsible for a large share of the world’s carbon emissions and that drive global heating,” the newspaper adds.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Paul Monks, professor of air pollution at the University of Leicester, hopes that important lessons will be learned from what he describes as “the largest-scale experiment” ever seen on the effects of reducing these activities and industrial practices.
“Are we looking at what we might see in the future if we can move to a low-carbon economy? Not to denigrate the loss of life, but this might give us some hope from something terrible. To see what can be achieved,” Monks said.
So exactly what does latest data show?
The European Space Agency this week revealed that imaging from its Sentinel-5P satellite show that levels of NO2 over cities and industrial clusters in Asia and Europe over the past six weeks have been markedly lower than in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the NCAS data reveals that in ten UK cities studied, NO2 levels dropped by around a third to a half compared with the yearly average in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, with drops of between 10% and 20% recorded in the other cities: Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and York.
The figures also reveal that PM2.5 - formed as a result of burning fuel - is down by a third to a half in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and has dropped by about a quarter in Manchester, York and Belfast, with smaller declines in the other cities.
“The air is definitely much healthier,” said NCAS Professor James Lee. “These are big changes – pollution levels are the equivalent at the moment of a holiday, say an Easter Sunday.
“And I think we will see an even starker drop-off when the weather changes.”
The BBC’s science correspondent Jonathan Amos adds that “what will be interesting to see now is whether other pollutants follow the lead of NO2 and PM2.5”.
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Sudoku medium: August 24, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?
The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?
Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
-
Blue whales have gone silent and it's posing troubling questions
Under the radar Warming oceans are the answer
-
Acid rain is back: the sequel nobody wanted
Under The Radar A 'forever chemical' in rainwater is reviving a largely forgotten environmental issue
-
Why is the world so divided over plastics?
Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
-
Tuvalu is being lost to climate change. Other countries will likely follow.
Under the Radar Sea level rise is putting islands underwater
-
Melting glaciers may lead to more volcanic eruptions
Under the radar We're in for a boom
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?