Lockdown measures and air quality: evidence from Italian provinces
Maurizio Malpede, Marco Percoco
Abstract
Abstract The aim of this short communication is to estimate the effects of the implementation of more restrictive lockdown measures on pollution levels in Italy. Using a time series of weekly concentrations of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and NO 2 for the period 2016–2020 across 71 provinces, we find that the introduction of lockdown measures reduced the air concentration levels of PM 10 and NO 2 by 17–18%, while their effect on PM 2.5 remains unclear. These results indicate that the lockdown had a significant positive impact in terms of lives saved and improved air quality.
Topics & Concepts
Air quality indexAir pollutionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)DemographyQuality (philosophy)Demographic economicsEconometricsEnvironmental scienceGeographyEnvironmental healthStatisticsMeteorologyEconomicsMathematicsMedicineChemistrySociologyPhysicsDiseaseOrganic chemistryInfectious disease (medical specialty)Quantum mechanicsPathologyCOVID-19 impact on air qualityCOVID-19 Pandemic ImpactsCOVID-19 epidemiological studies