By Abigail Hopf
Senior, English Major, IUPUI
I remember sitting on my balcony at the end of April 2020, less than two months after the pandemic began raging, the road below me quiet, leaning against the screen door and just…breathing. Deeply. Freely. As someone with asthma, I get excited when the air is clean, when I can spend several hours outside without an iron band wrapping around my chest.
For many across Indiana, the weeks following the initial stay-at-home order felt the same. By mid-April, Indiana had seen a 38% decrease in emissions of No2, or nitrogen dioxide, a substance used to measure traffic pollution, marking a subsequent increase in air quality from a year earlier. This increase won’t last long, but it does teach us an important lesson – we can improve our environment if we try.
What Happened?
Governor Holcomb released the first stay-at-home order for Indiana on March 24, 2020. Thus began weeks of staying at home, binging Netflix, and only leaving the house for essential activities. Very few people were traveling. The streets were quiet.
By mid-April, weekday traffic had declined 40%. That was 40% fewer exhaust pipes spewing fumes, reducing pollutants like NO2,. That same period also saw a decline in air travel, leading to a further reduction in energy use, burned fossil fuels, and industrial production.
It was more than traffic pollution that declined. Smog – the brown, hazy fog that covers Indianapolis on heavy ozone days – had also gone down 25%. The air quality was higher. People could breathe easier. And this occurred across the globe.
The effect is unlikely to last, however. We’re already seeing a return to pre-pandemic NO2 levels as people travel more, produce more exhaust, and go about “business as usual.” But business as usual isn’t going to do anyone any favors.
Why Does It Matter?
So, air pollution got better and now it’s getting worse again. So what? Why does it even matter?
Well, for one, the brief drop in air pollution gave scientists a chance to study how the atmosphere responds to changing pollution levels, which will lead to better environmental management strategies and measurements. It’s also given the environment a chance to heal. And, most importantly, it’s directly linked our daily habits with our air quality. When we drive less, we release less exhaust and pollutants, and we improve the air.
Meaning, if we were able to change our habits and improve air pollution once (during a pandemic), we can do it again.
And doing it again is of increasing importance to Indiana. Thanks to a poor public transit system and a collection of coal-fired power plants, Indiana is consistently ranked near the bottom for pollution. Based on data from the United Health Foundation, Indiana is currently 46th in the U.S. for air pollution. Indianapolis, Carmel, and Muncie are tied for the 16th worst cities in terms of year-round particle pollution. And many Indiana counties are graded poorly in terms of high ozone days (represented by the AQI index, or the colored bar that pops up on your weather app); Marion County currently holds an F.
Air pollution is obviously a problem in Indiana, but we don’t often pay attention to it. Its consequences are often invisible, hidden in long-term health effects and indirect costs. For example, research shows that NO2 and particulate matter can cause lung cancer and asthma, or make you more susceptible to strokes, heart attacks, and an early death. The WHO estimates that air pollution kills seven million people annually. Air pollution even has unforeseen effects. A Harvard report found that positive cases and deaths of COVID-19 were higher in areas with more air pollution. In Indiana, Marion County (the worst county in Indiana in terms of air pollution) held more than a third of the state’s total positive cases.
So, why does it matter? Because the air you’re breathing right now is affecting you. You might not feel it yet – the strain in your lungs, the wheeze as you breathe, the iron band around your chest – but the seed has been planted. And it will only continue to grow if we do nothing, if we let air pollution levels return to normal, if we don’t make a stand now.
What Can We Do?
It can be difficult to change, but, if the pandemic has proven anything, it’s that we can improve our air quality. Now, should we periodically shut down businesses and lock everyone in their homes to achieve it? Probably not. But there are several actionable steps we can take to improve air quality.
For one, the decrease in traffic and car exhaust was a major contributor to the decline in air pollution. So, continue that trend. Carpool with a friend. Hop on the Indy Red Line. Walk, ride a bike, take an electric scooter. All of these transportation modes will lower the amount of NO2 released into the atmosphere. You can also buy foods from local farmers (instead of buying frozen foods that must be shipped on trucks across the country), compost and recycle, and educate yourself and your friends. Most importantly, you can reach out to your local legislators, vote, and use your voice to push for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels and a better public transit system. If we all make minor changes, we can bump air pollution levels down to what they were during the height of the pandemic, improving our health and wellbeing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we’ve always known; it’s forced us to take a step back, to reflect, and to replan. As Indiana returns to “business as usual,” it’s more important than ever to think about what could be improved in our environment and how, so that we can work diligently towards improving our futures. We’ve been given a glimpse into what our environment could look like, into what a breath of fresh air really feels like. Let’s not waste it.