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Changes in Air Quality during the First-Level Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in Shanghai Municipality, China

Author

Listed:
  • Yang Bai

    (Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, China
    Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
    Yang Bai and Yi Zhou contributed equally to this manuscript.)

  • Yi Zhou

    (Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, China
    Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
    Yang Bai and Yi Zhou contributed equally to this manuscript.)

  • Juha M. Alatalo

    (Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar)

  • Alice C. Hughes

    (Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, China
    Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China)

Abstract

Ongoing rapid urban population growth world-wide has led to serious environmental problems that affect ecosystems and also lower the security and happiness of urban residents about their living environment. The most frequently reported negative impact is a deterioration in urban air quality. In this study, we performed a comprehensive assessment of the effects of the city lockdown policy in response to Covid-19 on air quality in Shanghai Municipality, China, and sought to identify a balance point between human activities and improving air quality. The first-level response (FLR) by Shanghai to control the spread of Covid-19 was to launch a lockdown, which remained in place from 24 January to 23 March, 2020. We compared airborne pollutant concentrations in different regions (downtown, suburbs) of Shanghai city in three periods (Pre-FLR, During-FLR, and Post-FLR) and in the corresponding periods in the previous year. The results showed that air quality improved significantly During-FLR compared with Pre-FLR, with the concentrations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , and CO all decreasing significantly. The concentrations of all pollutants except O 3 also decreased significantly compared with the same period in the previous year. There were also some differences in pollutant concentrations between the downtown region and the suburbs of Shanghai. However, we found that the concentrations of pollutants rebounded gradually when the restrictions on human activities ended after two months of lockdown. This study provides empirical evidence of the important effect of limiting human activities on air quality. For sustainable and clean future urban management in Shanghai and beyond, central government policy regulations requiring a low-carbon lifestyle and cleaner production in industries should be established.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Bai & Yi Zhou & Juha M. Alatalo & Alice C. Hughes, 2020. "Changes in Air Quality during the First-Level Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic in Shanghai Municipality, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:8887-:d:435054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jinghui Li & Wei Fang & Tao Wang & Salman Qureshi & Juha M. Alatalo & Yang Bai, 2017. "Correlations between Socioeconomic Drivers and Indicators of Urban Expansion: Evidence from the Heavily Urbanised Shanghai Metropolitan Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Cheung, Chun Wai & He, Guojun & Pan, Yuhang, 2020. "Mitigating the air pollution effect? The remarkable decline in the pollution-mortality relationship in Hong Kong," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    3. Yang Bai & Christina P. Wong & Bo Jiang & Alice C. Hughes & Min Wang & Qing Wang, 2018. "Developing China’s Ecological Redline Policy using ecosystem services assessments for land use planning," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
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    1. Tomasz Wołowiec & Iuliia Myroshnychenko & Ihor Vakulenko & Sylwester Bogacki & Anna Maria Wiśniewska & Svitlana Kolosok & Vitaliy Yunger, 2022. "International Impact of COVID-19 on Energy Economics and Environmental Pollution: A Scoping Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-26, November.
    2. Ismail Anil & Omar Alagha, 2020. "Source Apportionment of Ambient Black Carbon during the COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-22, December.

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