It was first noted in China and now it is starting to happen elsewhere. Most notably in Italy, but there are also reports of clearer skies across the United States. 

As more people stay home, due to the growing health crisis, normally bustling cities are now shut down with less traffic, tourists, and industrial activity. This has resulted in a change in the global environment. NASA and ESA (The European Space Agency) are using satellites to show a decline in pollution, particularly CO2 and nitrogen dioxide emissions.

The video below shows the change across Europe, especially in northern Italy, from January 1, 2020 to March 11, 2020. Part of that time, there was a nationwide lockdown in Italy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This video is from ESA and it uses the Tropomi instrument on board the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite which maps a multitude of air pollutants around the globe.

The changes are not only visible from space, but in the water too. Check out the normally cloudy canals in Venice, Italy. The water is now much clearer - you can even see fish! Many are seeing this as a surprising and (likely one of the only) positive changes from the deadly pandemic.Â