Cities across globe switch off their lights to highlight climate change during Earth Hour
Famous buildings and structures have switched off their lights to highlight change during Earth Hour, plunging landmarks in London, Moscow and Beijing into complete darkness. The blackout is set to last from 8.30pm to 9.30pm tonight as part of an international event organised by WWF to urge action to save the planet. Andy Ridley, who was one of the driving forces behind Earth Hour when it began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, said the world has the chance to do something positive for the planet even during this current crisis. It comes as some UK cities have seen significant drops in air pollution as the shutdown to tackle the pandemic disrupts work and travel, analysis suggests. Assessment of data from roadside monitoring sites in York, , , and Manchester has revealed reductions in key pollutants nitrogen dioxide and tiny particles known as 'PM2.5'. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the WWF said it is not organising public gatherings - instead, supporters are encouraged to join in with online events. Mr Ridley, speaking in an interview with Steven Day, the co-founder of renewable energy provider Pure Planet, said that 'the one thing we should be taking out of this is we have the capacity to act if we decide we are going to'. He added that there is a 'power of action when you get a mass engagement'. Mr Ridley also said that the world's current battle with coronavirus 'does clearly show the capacity for us to deal with things' and he advised anyone who may no longer be able to get outside that 'the biggest thing' is to 'remember how good it is to be out and how worth it that is.' He also said in the interview: 'Greta (Thunberg, the teenage environmental campaigner) was right when she said if governments decide to do something then we can do something. The excuse has always been it's too hard, but we have just proven it isn't too hard. So what happens at the end of this, how do we rethink what's going on?' A number of landmarks across England are expected to take part in the grassroots movement, including London's The Shard, Blackpool Tower and Old Trafford in Manchester. The annual hour of darkness aims to highlight the impact humans are having on the planet through climate change, pollution, plastic and food production. Katie White, executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF-UK, said: 'These are really unprecedented times, and I know a lot of people are looking for ways to connect and feel connected. 'In this global health crisis, now is a pivotal time for us to work together to safeguard our future and the future of our planet.' Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge will go dark, while London hotspots like Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden - which have been deserted in the past week due to the Covid-19 outbreak - are also expected to take part. More than 7,000 cities in some 170 countries were estimated to have taken part last year. WWF is also encouraging supporters to join in online by tagging EarthHour, while the organisation said it is running a series of virtual events - such as a silent disco and a Facebook quiz. Ms White said: 'While - first and foremost - our thoughts are with those affected by coronavirus, and those who are working so hard in healthcare and other vital services, many millions of us are working and operating from our homes. 'Taking part in Earth Hour this year feels very timely - a time when millions unite around the world to show they care about the future of our planet. 'In these difficult times, It's an opportunity to inspire hope.' It comes as analysis by scientists from the University of York of data from the London Air Quality Network and UK Automatic Urban and Rural Network has shown that the pollutants had fallen to levels lower than the average of the past five years due to the coronavirus crisis. Monitoring of European cities, many of which are in lockdown over the pandemic, by the European Environment Agency (EEA) also reveals large decreases in air pollution, particularly nitrogen dioxide. The reduction in nitrogen dioxide in UK and European cities is likely to be caused by lower levels of traffic, experts said. Sources of PM2.5 include road transport, industry and fuel burning. Professor James Lee from the Department of Chemistry at York and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) said: 'These are the two air pollutants that have the biggest health impacts on people. 'From our analysis, pollution levels are clearly lower than the average of the previous five years. 'I would expect them to drop even further over the coming weeks. 'We will continue to analyse the data and potentially take in more sites to build a bigger, more accurate picture of the situation.' The data will need to be carefully analysed to pinpoint the exact cause of the decline, the scientists warn, as many things can affect air pollution, including local weather, new regulations and human activity. Air pollution causes an estimated 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year. It is linked to health problems including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory diseases and infections, as well as stunting the growth of children's lungs. Experts have warned that the health benefits of reduced air pollution and lower exposure as people stay off the streets and in their homes in the shutdown may not offset mortality from Covid-19 and health problems caused by isolation. Data from local monitoring stations analysed by the EEA reveals big drops in nitrogen dioxide in some cities across Europe. In Milan, northern Italy, average concentrations of the pollutant over the past four weeks are at least 24% lower than over four weeks earlier this year. Rome's pollution levels over the past four weeks were 26-35 % lower than for the same weeks in 2019, the EEA said. Cities in other European countries have also seen major reductions in nitrogen dioxide where lockdown measures have been implemented during the week of March 16-22. Barcelona's pollution levels fell 40% from one week to the next, and were down 55% compared to the same week in 2019, while Lisbon has seen a 41% drop in nitrogen dioxide week-on-week and is down 51% compared to the same week last year. Hans Bruyninckx, EEA executive director, said: 'The EEA's data shows an accurate picture of the drop in air pollution, especially due to reduced traffic in cities. 'However, addressing long-term air quality problems requires ambitious policies and forward-looking investments. 'As such, the current crisis and its multiple impacts on our society work against what we are trying to achieve, which is a just and well-managed transition towards a resilient and sustainable society.' Yesterday, satellite images from the European Space Agency showed a massive drop in air pollution levels across European cities due to coronavirus isolation measures. New data captured by the ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite shows a strong reduction in nitrogen dioxide concentrations over major European cities. The change in the amount of NO2 in the atmosphere is particularly stark in Paris, Milan and Madrid, according to the ESA. The coronavirus has been spread around the world and to combat this spread and ease demand on health services countries have gone into lockdown. Copernicus has mapped air pollution levels across Europe since the outbreak of the virus and found a 'significant drop' coinciding with new lockdown measures. The images show a dramatic difference in NO2 levels across all European cities, particularly in Spain, France and Italy coinciding with the lockdown measures. It matches similar figures from the London Air Quality Network that showed a sharp drop in air pollution levels over the UK capital city. This is due to a notable drop in traffic levels on the streets of cities across Europe. GPS maker TomTom said the percentage of roads congested with traffic in London dropped from 71 per cent this time in 2019 to just 15 per cent yesterday. The UK capital's levels of ultra-fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, are currently around half that would be normally recorded at this time of year. This matter is produced in a large part from vehicles and burning fossil fuels. Scientists from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) have been using data from Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite to monitor both weather and pollution over Europe. The satellite images show nitrogen dioxide concentrations from 14 to 25 March 2020, compared to the monthly average of concentrations from 2019. Henk Eskes, from KNMI, explains why these dates were chosen, 'The nitrogen dioxide concentrations vary from day to day due to changes in the weather. Conclusions cannot be drawn based on just one day of data alone. 'By combining data for a specific period of time, 10 days in this case, the meteorological variability partly averages out and we begin to see the impact of changes due to human activity,' Eskes said. 'The chemistry in our atmosphere is non-linear. Therefore, the percentage drop in concentrations may differ somewhat from the drop in emissions. 'Atmospheric chemistry models, which account for daily changes in weather, in combination with inverse modelling techniques are needed to quantify the emission based on the satellite observations.' The latest images and data focus on Italy, Spain and France but they are working on studying data for parts of northern Europe including the UK and Netherlands. 'New measurements from this week will help to assess the changes in nitrogen dioxide over northwest Europe,' ESA said. The multi-national space agency did confirm that levels of the pollutants over London are significantly lower than in March 2019. European Environment Agency (EEA) data shows that air pollutant concentrations in Rome and Milan have dropped by 50 per cent, while a Paris air quality monitoring agency recorded up to a 30 per cent decline in pollution. The KNMI team, in collaboration with scientists worldwide, have started to work on a more detailed analysis using ground data, weather data and inverse modelling to interpret the concentrations observed. They are using this data to estimate the influence of the shutdown measures. 'For quantitative estimates of the changes in the emissions due to transportation and industry, we need to combine the Tropomi data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite with models of atmospheric chemistry,' said Henk. 'These studies have started, but will take some time to complete.' As daily life grinds to a halt in the UK due to restricted movement to control the spread of COVID-19, air quality has improved due to a sharp reduction in traffic. These promising early signs suggest air pollution could be falling across UK cities while the pandemic goes on. 'Air quality has started to improve in many UK cities, mirroring what has been seen in other countries that have restricted travel and levels of outdoor activity,' said Professor Alastair Lewis, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of York. 'This is primarily a consequence of lower traffic volumes, and some of the most clear reductions have been in nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhaust. 'However fine particles (PM2.5) have also reduced significantly. 'In London for example, PM2.5 is noticeably lower than would be expected for this time of year at the roadside, and these reductions stretch through into the suburbs as well.' Professor Lewis said it's especially important to consider how PM2.5 levels have changed compared to what is normally seen at this time of year. 'Air pollution is noisy, changing with weather and so on,' he said. 'It's really best to compare where we are now against where we might have expected to be based on previous years.' London Air Quality Network, a King's College London project, comprises more than 100 continuous monitoring sites in the majority of London's 33 boroughs. The data shows that PM2.5 levels in the capital are currently about half those seen on average from 2015 to 2019, as measured in micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) per cubic meter air (g/m3). These fine inhalable particles have diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller. The average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter making PM2.5 about 30 times larger than the largest fine particle. It is not yet clear what the health impacts of reductions in air pollution, which causes an estimated 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year, will be. Air pollution is linked to health problems including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory diseases and infections, as well as stunting the growth of children's lungs.