New study finds COVID-19 lock made Montreal – Montreal air cleaner

At least the pandemic has been good for something.

A new study from Concordia University found that air pollution in Montreal fell sharply in early 2020. That improvement coincided with the sharp decline in the number of cars on the road.

Researchers compared emissions levels in March and April 2020 with the same times in 2019.

“Traffic congestion decreased by about 60 to 75 percent in Toronto and Montreal, respectively,” explained Xuelin Tian, ​​a master’s student at Concordia who led the research.

They found that the amount of carbon dioxide in the air created by gas consumption fell by more than 50 percent in April 2020 compared to April 2019. Other harmful gases also saw a significant reduction. The same was true of other Canadian cities.

“We can significantly improve the quality of the air we breathe by reducing the number of cars on the streets,” said Dr. Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers of the Quebec Doctors Association for the Environment.

The researchers found that emissions were going up as soon as the summer hit and things started to open up.

“It simply came to our notice then. It shows us that the air quality was better at the start of the lock, ”said Pétrin-Desrosiers.

For some experts, the study only confirms the incredible amount of hard work required to improve air quality and reduce emissions in the long run.

“I think it is an appropriate time to re-evaluate fossil fuel production and how we are going to start completing the business in the coming years,” Sabaa said. Khan, director of Quebec at the David Suzuki Foundation.

The government has made big promises to encourage a move away from fossil fuels and the use of electric vehicles in the coming years. The researchers hope their study shows what a world without gas-burning cars will look like.

“We will both see growth in fossil fuel production back to pre-existing levels in some jurisdictions, and in others, we hope, see an acceleration towards the shift to clean energy. , ”Said Khan.