Forced lockdowns across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic had a direct impact on the effect on ozone pollution, a NASA study has found.
As the lockdowns slowed global commerce, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) decreased 15 percent globally, with local reductions as high as 50 percent, according to a study led by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
As a result of the lower NOx emissions, by June 2020, global ozone levels had dropped to a level that policymakers thought would take at least 15 years to reach by conventional means, such as regulations. NOx creates ozone, a danger to human health and to climate.
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Business News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.