The Best time to Breathe is now

"For those fortunate who manage to keep breathing in these tough times, will breathe the freshest air in the next 100 years."

Let this statement be not true and let us HOPE the future will hold even fresher air. WHO estimates that 4.6 million people die each year of factors indirectly attributable to air pollution, leave alone the decreased quality of lives for million others.

The virus which has so far claimed over 22,000 lives is silently saving tens of thousands others, owing to reduced air pollution during lock downs. We do not intent to denigrate the loss of life whatsoever but here are some statistics:

Global:

• The average NO2 concentrations reduced by double digit percentages in Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Bergamo (an industrial area in Italy), and Lisbon compared to what they were four weeks earlier.
• Early research showed that carbon monoxide had reduced by 50% in New York in 2020 compared to what they were last year.       
• In the four weeks up to March 1, China's CO2 emissions fell by 25%, adecline which is equivalent to annual CO2 emissions of Egypt, Argentina and Venezuela.

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) are air pollutants which cause a range of respiratory problems which basically increases the likelihood of hospital admissions and intensive healthcare. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) is just CO2. 

India:

• Residents of Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow and Bengaluru are breathing clean air for the first time in months. Recently, the Air Quality Index showed a score of 90 for Mumbai (compared to 153 last year) and 91 for Delhi (versus 161 in March 2019). Air quality is considered good when the number falls below 50.
• You don’t have to believe the numbers. Go out for a jog or run and find out.

An estimated one-fourth of humanity is currently under lock down. This is the largest scale experiment the world has ever seen. A study suggested that two months of reduced pollution saved over 77,000 lives in China alone. The extended three-week lock down is expected to reduce pollution further in India. The water is steadily getting blue and clear and wild-life is returning to Venice.

All this is good and going. But what happens when the virus leaves us alone?