Air quality & SDGs
The presence of cleaner cities is an unprecedented benefit for this natural disaster
and here's how that changes the way we view SDGs
It should also be noted that the cities, with the exception of Atlanta, used to be high emitters of CO before the lockdown. China, which is no longer on lockdown, is already seeing CO levels rise again. The effects caused by Covid-19 will not last forever once lockdown ends, and are only temporary benefits.
Overview
We felt that measuring the levels of CO and NO2 in the air was an important aspect of SDG 11, or Sustainable Cities and Communities, as part of SDG 11 hinges on creating a decrease in the environmentally detrimental effects of cities worldwide, focusing especially air quality. CO and NO2 are examples of gases that cause harm when breathed in by humans in moderate or large amounts. CO, for example, stops the bloodstream from effectively circulating oxygen. When ingested in large amounts, it can cause death by asphyxiation or lack of oxygen to the brain. We decided to make a set of graphs to display the information that we had gathered. To do so, we used two websites: Google Sheets and ChartGo.
Procedure
When researching the sustainability and environmental status of cities, especially in terms of air quality, we found that the IASI instrument provided the most useful data. It includes information on a number of regions, including Europe, the US east coast, the US west coast, and China, to name a few. IASI then provides a number of graphs, displaying the levels of CO (carbon monoxide) and/or NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) detected in those nations over various time periods. These graphs all display the levels of CO and NO2 before, during, and after the lockdown due to Covid-19. Two instruments, IASI and TROPOMI, were used to gather information regarding CO and NO2 levels.
Above: We compared population changes to CO2 levels of major cities in China in an attempt to find trends. The populations were increasing constantly, although the CO2 levels decreased for the most part. We can conclude that this occurred due to COVID-19 lockdown conditions. Population changes did not play a large role in changing the CO2 levels.