Study: The lockdowns cleared the air in Athens and Thessaloniki

The lockdowns brought an opportunity for fresh breath to the Greek big cities, which led to a reduction of air pollution due to the reduced mobility and industrial activity.

The phenomenon is confirmed by a study by the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki that analyzed data on air quality and energy before and after Covid-19 season in Greece.

Enclosure and air pollution

The study analyzed data from the Ministry of Environment and Energy until 2020 and found that there is a downward trend in particulate matter in Athens and Thessaloniki.

"The good thing is that the percentage of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in Greece has increased by 12%. Of course, it will be interesting to see the data of 2021 - which have not been released yet - but also of 2022, when things started to move normally ", said Ms. Slini in APE-MPE, adding that by limiting the pandemic There has also been improvement in Asian countries that have had serious pollution problems.

"The key is to increase the penetration of RES in energy production in order to prevent any burden that may be caused. In the pandemic, the environment took a momentary breath because some cities were cleaned, but beyond that we have to see what happens with the new conditions ", noted Ms. Slini.

The international conference is organized by the Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire in England.

RES-EAP