• With the decline in industrial activities and automobile traffic, the successive confinements have had a positive impact on air quality.

  • The last confinement, less restrictive, resulted in a drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions three times less important in Toulouse than during the first confinement according to Atmo Occitanie.

  • The benefit for air quality was felt most during weekends, when tourist travel and between departments were prohibited.

Containment is good for the planet, and our lungs. The heads of air quality observatories have been able to demonstrate over the past year that if the health crisis had at least one beneficial effect, it was for its impact on automobile traffic and, by domino effect, on pollutant emissions. But it all depends on the type of containment.

In March 2020, the drop in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels along Toulouse's main roads was 61% compared to usual concentrations, and 57% in background pollution according to Atmo Occitanie.

But during this third confinement, between April 5 and May 2, the Observatory was able to note that this drop was 27% near the major traffic axes of the Pink City and only 20% in background pollution, i.e. an impact three times less important than over the same period in 2020, during the first confinement.

📣 [# Covid19] 2021 confinement: what impact on #air quality in Occitanie @Atmo_oc @TSuaud ▶ ️ https://t.co/6RIZ61QYsI pic.twitter.com/7MKHUtBs5T

- Atmo OCCITANIA (@Atmo_oc) May 26, 2021

“It is in Toulouse that the difference between the 2021 levels and the“ normal ”situation is the lowest in comparison with Montpellier and Nîmes.

This is mainly linked to the composition of the economic fabric in the territory and in particular to the presence of a larger industrial basin in Toulouse, whose activities continued to operate in 2021 ”, explains Atmo Occitanie.

In the west of the region, economic activity is indeed very much linked to tourism.

Failing to be able to circulate between the departments during this period, the flow of cars, and their occupants who came to bask the pill in the sun, fell on the roads.

A phenomenon that can also be found during the weekends.

Less pollution on weekends

At the regional level, during these confined weeks straddling April and May, on average the NO2 concentrations fell by 31% near road traffic compared to the year 2019. But during the weekend, this figure reached - 40%.

A drop in pollution which since the first deconfinement measures must have been greatly reduced.

When activity resumed in May 2020, pollutant levels quickly rose.

And given the traffic jams recorded over the last weekends on the main roads, this time we also had to catch up to the levels of 2019.

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  • Deconfinement

  • Coronavirus

  • Toulouse

  • Pollution

  • Covid 19

  • Planet

  • Confinement