Cleaner Air in California as a Result of the Stay-at-home Order

In a KCRA 3 article, the UC Davis Air Quality research Center's Director, Anthony Wexler, explains why we have been experiencing much better air quality currently. 

“There’s very little traffic compared to what there normally is, and so there’s much less emissions from cars and trucks than there normally are,” Wexler said. “That gives us this blessing at this time where we need as many blessings as we can get. It gives us the blessing of wonderful air quality.”

KCRA's article explains the lack of emissions as a result of less traffic and how pollution, specifically PM 2.5, is linked to higher COVID-19 death rates. 

“Those particles get deep into the lung. And they cause a wide range of health problems, including heart attacks," Wexler said. "They’re mainly responsible for why people are dying from air pollution."

Wexler also explains what the future may look like as we become more reliant on zero-emission vehicles, 

“It gives us a real glimpse into what our roads could look like if all the vehicles potentially had no tailpipes, if we shift to zero-emission vehicles or we shift to a transportation solution that offers real alternatives to driving in gridlock.”

For the full article and interview please click here.