Hubert Thieriot
38,000 air pollution-related deaths avoided in Europe in 2020, as fossil fuel burning dropped
COVID-19 control measures and increases in renewable energy caused a steep drop in fossil fuel burning in Europe in 2020. This led to an approximately 14% reduction in average level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, 7% reduction in average level of particulate matter pollution, and 4% in ozone levels, resulting in an estimated 37,813 avoided deaths from air pollution (95% confidence interval: 31,894 – 44,226) in Europe.