According to images taken by the satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), air pollution will increase to pre-COVID levels in China in 2021.
In a statement, the ESA found that one year after the February 2020 measurement, when the COVID restrictions began, “Average air pollution has recovered and is increasing again after containment measures have been relaxed.”
Satellite images taken by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P show the monthly mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (a gas that is polluted by traffic and the combustion of fossil energy in the industrial process) in Central and Eastern China in the months of February 2019, 2020 and 2021.
According to the charts, the decrease in pollution from 2019 to 2020 is visible, as well as the return in 2021 to the level of two years ago.
In Beijing, for example Nitrogen dioxide concentrations decreased by approximately 35% between February 2019 and 2020until “more or less” returns to the 2019 threshold in 2021, the ESA said.
In Chongqing Municipality, the situation is worse, because after the 45% drop in pollution between 2019 and 2020, The European authority expects the levels of precovid to “almost double” in this municipality.
The head of the Copernicus Satellite mission, Claus Zehner, stated that this increase in air pollution is also dependent on the climate and left a warning for Europe.
“In the coming weeks and months, we expect nitrogen dioxide levels to rise in Europe as well,” warned Zehner, who linked this to a relaxation of restrictions on COVID control.