UN: Brief gains in air quality in 2020 over COVID lockdowns

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. weather agency says the world and especially urban areas experienced a brief and sharp drop in emissions of air pollutants last year. It happened during lockdown measures and related travel restrictions put in place over the coronavirus pandemic. The World Meteorological Organization released its first ever Air Quality and Climate Bulletin on Friday. It cautioned that the reductions in pollution were patchy and many parts of the world showed levels that outpaced air quality guidelines. Some types of pollutants continued to emerge at regular or even higher levels.