COVID-19 lockdowns brought rapid and “unprecedented” improvements in air quality in some parts of the world - but not enough to halt climate change caused by global warming said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)'s Air Quality and Climate Bulletin

The COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions led to a dramatic short-lived fall in emissions of key air pollutants in 2020, especially in urban areas. Many city dwellers saw blue skies instead of the pollution cloud. But the reduction was not uniformly spread across all regions or all types of pollutants. And many parts of the world still fell short of air quality guidelines, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The Air Quality and Climate Bulletin – the first of its kind issued by WMO – highlights the main factors that influence air quality patterns in 2020, in comparison to other years. It shows how there were episodes of both improvement and deterioration of air quality in different parts of the world. [2]