Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective
To address the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide implemented mandatory restrictions. As an unintended consequence of these responses, significant air pollution reductions have been recorded across the world. We provide cross-national evidence on the causal impact of pandemic-induced lockdowns...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/1/113 |
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| author | Meina Zheng Feng Liu Meichang Wang |
| author_facet | Meina Zheng Feng Liu Meichang Wang |
| author_sort | Meina Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To address the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide implemented mandatory restrictions. As an unintended consequence of these responses, significant air pollution reductions have been recorded across the world. We provide cross-national evidence on the causal impact of pandemic-induced lockdowns on air quality. Using daily air pollution data between 1 January and 31 December 2020, covering 596 major cities in 77 countries, we analyzed the data with a generalized difference-in-differences approach. The results show that lockdown restrictions reduced global concentrations of NO<sub>2</sub> by 21~35%, PM<sub>10</sub> by 14~26%, PM<sub>2.5</sub> by 9~18%, CO by 6~16%, and SO<sub>2</sub> by 5~16%, while the O<sub>3</sub> concentrations increased by 15~29% under eight specific lockdown measures. Furthermore, a simultaneous equations model suggests that reductions in public and private mobility, measured by changes in public transportation and car ridership, partly explain the observed decreases in air pollution. These findings have significant implications for ongoing global efforts to mitigate air pollution and underscore the pivotal role of public transit in achieving this goal. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-367eba8d00524cacb469d679eb935939 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-367eba8d00524cacb469d679eb9359392025-01-24T13:22:04ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-01-0116111310.3390/atmos16010113Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation PerspectiveMeina Zheng0Feng Liu1Meichang Wang2School of Modern Posts, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, ChinaWu Jinglian School of Economics, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, ChinaTo address the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide implemented mandatory restrictions. As an unintended consequence of these responses, significant air pollution reductions have been recorded across the world. We provide cross-national evidence on the causal impact of pandemic-induced lockdowns on air quality. Using daily air pollution data between 1 January and 31 December 2020, covering 596 major cities in 77 countries, we analyzed the data with a generalized difference-in-differences approach. The results show that lockdown restrictions reduced global concentrations of NO<sub>2</sub> by 21~35%, PM<sub>10</sub> by 14~26%, PM<sub>2.5</sub> by 9~18%, CO by 6~16%, and SO<sub>2</sub> by 5~16%, while the O<sub>3</sub> concentrations increased by 15~29% under eight specific lockdown measures. Furthermore, a simultaneous equations model suggests that reductions in public and private mobility, measured by changes in public transportation and car ridership, partly explain the observed decreases in air pollution. These findings have significant implications for ongoing global efforts to mitigate air pollution and underscore the pivotal role of public transit in achieving this goal.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/1/113air qualityCOVID-19lockdownstransportationsimultaneous equations model |
| spellingShingle | Meina Zheng Feng Liu Meichang Wang Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective Atmosphere air quality COVID-19 lockdowns transportation simultaneous equations model |
| title | Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective |
| title_full | Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective |
| title_short | Assessing the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Global Air Quality: A Transportation Perspective |
| title_sort | assessing the covid 19 lockdown impact on global air quality a transportation perspective |
| topic | air quality COVID-19 lockdowns transportation simultaneous equations model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/1/113 |
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