Air quality is improving in Indiana amid pandemic

Air quality is improving in Indiana amid pandemic

Drivers in tippecanoe county.

At-home order.

While they know this pandemic isn't an ideal way for the climate to improve, news 18's micah upshaw learned one thing they hope people take away from this.

Jeff: we're not solving the problem accidentally as we all stay at home but we are contributing to solving the problem.

Micah: jeffrey dukes is the director of purdue university's climate change research.

He's looking at these unprecedented times as an opportunity to learn.

Jeff: maybe after this is all over, we'll realize that we don't all have to be at work all the time, we can be working from home not commuting all the time and saving our time on commuting and saving our energy.

Micah: he says traffic has reduced by 40- percent since the stay- at-home order went into affect.

Since then, the air quality has improved by 38-percent.

Jeff: there are lots of inconveniences and really bad consequences of having to shutdown society so lets not kid about that but there are huge air quality improvements in some of the places with the worst air in the world.

Micah: in places like india and china, people are seeing the climate change improvement with much clearer skies.

But people in indiana may notice these differences in their breathing while outside.

Jeff: although the downside is right now we're getting lots of pollen too so maybe the asthma won't be as bad, or the spring won't be quiet as bad from the pollen because we don't have as much of these other pollutants in the air at the same time.

Micah: and this can be particularly helpful for those fighting and recovering from covid-19.

Jeff: the improvements in the air quality that we do have are probably helping those people who need it the most.

Micah: in west lafayette, micah upshaw, news 18.