NewsCoronavirus

Actions

Pollution levels plummet, wildlife enters cities amid coronavirus lockdowns

Pollution levels plummet, wildlife enters city amid coronavirus lockdowns
Posted
and last updated

Coyotes, pumas and goats are wandering around cities, while air across the world is becoming less polluted.

Scientists are noticing changes to Earth's environment as millions of people stay home because of the new coronavirus.

The planet is becoming wilder and cleaner. Air pollution is down 30% in the northeastern U.S. and 49% in Rome. Sea turtles are nesting better without human interference.

People have spotted coyotes walking down Chicago's Michigan Avenue and near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

In Adelaide, Australia, police recorded video of a kangaroo bounding down an emply downtown street.

Scientists think of this as a grand but unintended experiment that shows how much of a footprint humanity has on the planet.

“In many ways we kind of whacked the Earth system with a sledgehammer and now we see what Earth’s response is,” said Chris Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

According to figures from NASA, air pollution is down 46% percent in 2020 compared to the last 5 years in Paris. That's compared to 5% in Bengaluru, India, 38% in Sydney, 29% in Los Angeles, 26% in Rio de Janeiro and 9% in Durban, South Africa.

Coronavirus in Wisconsin

More data on Wisconsin's vaccination progress here.

Find a vaccination site here.

Check out county-by-county coronavirus case numbers here.

More information: COVID-19 on the Wisconsin DHS website

Latest news and headlines here.