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As people stay home and workplaces shut, air pollution goes down
By adamg on Sat, 04/11/2020 - 12:45pm
NASA has posted some satellite images that show the change in atmospheric levels of nitrogen dioxide - generated by cars and electric plants - over the Northeast. The left image shows the mean of levels between 2015 and 2019; the right, the mean for 2020 so far (NASA provides additional info and caveats at the link).
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And yet
The essential work of our society is still getting done, despite the reduction in work commuter traffic. But hey, I only asked the question of how necessary it was for everybody to clog up the roads at the same times when they could work remotely repeatedly over the last decade. Nobody listen to me, I'm under the age of 60 and thus stupid and underqualified to point out society's inefficencies.
This whole shutdown/distancing thing is a giant rhetorical victory lap for me. It feels really, really good.
Uh...
So necessary that the unemployment rate is projected to rise to 25% in MA. When people had to work remotely, 1/4 people don't have a job anymore.
I guess?
Sure, people are being fed but 20% of the population is outright unemployed and a large portion of people are lucky enough to have their jobs but aren't able to do much actual work.
Working from home isn't feasible for a majority of people in the long term, nor is social isolation.
That's not too say personal cars aren't a problem, BTW.
Apparently slick Willy still
Apparently slick Willy still has a job in this new, cleaner economy.
A silver lining
In this whole mess is that there will be a new realization that certain roles can function and even thrive remotely. This will of course lead to less pollution, more leisure time, and higher job satisfaction. I’m all for that.
However, gloating about the fact that society is still able function in the face of skyrocketing unemployment is a bad look.
Remember when your job was pub trivia?
I bet that’s one job that you cannot do remotely.
And what everyone else wrote.
The elusive middle ground
Between taking an hour to go 20 miles and 25% unemployment. Let's find it.
Pre Quarantine
20 mile commute in 1hr? Not ideal, but I'll take it.
Goalpost Shift Much?
You still haven't offered a single viable solution to unclogging traffic or any middle ground.
For values of "essential work
For values of "essential work" that don't include a lot of dentistry and other medical care, but do include the distribution of liquor and ice cream.
My cancelled hair cut may not be part of the essential work of society, but my mother's half-completed dental implants are but one of the many necessary things that can't be done in person.
Poor Will
Will, I understood what you meant.. saying one word was how you lost everywhere. (like a job interview I had years ago..)
I think what will meant to say is that while there's massive unemployment, some who still have jobs and could work from home are doing so now. I'll leave "productively' out here because productive is relative to who you are talking to.
My company is mostly cloud based, we already had VPN, and stuff like zoom. All our apps are in the cloud, as is our product. So the move to WfH wasn't much, and just an adjustment. Some are adjusting and staying productive, some are not.
And for me, part of my role I can do at home and others I can't. I have a few projects that are on hold because its site visits. And with offices being 'closed', no sense in going on site.
But to Wills point and to better phrase it..
Those who are still employed are still able to work, are working. And it is giving a new look at how much office space do companies need, how employees communicate and collaborate. I think outside of all the sadness and despair, if we do make it out of this.. we will see a drastic change in the workplace.
Good news for our lungs.
And health in general.
Just looking at that chart makes me feel healthy.
Teachers and students, haircuts, dentists, routine medical
Obviously, less pollution is great. But it's not even close to reasonable to claim that society is continuing to run well.
I live with a teacher. Based on what I see and over-hear, kids are lucky to be learning 25% of what they normally do.
Whatever virtue there is in travel, be it for vacation, for visiting grandma in Florida, for study abroad, for immigration (including American citizens/immigrants who travel home to visit family on occasion), no travel is happening. Airlines also represent a ton of jobs.
My company is doing so-so with everyone working from home. But when we succeed, it's mainly due many of us having having spent months or even years working face to face. Bringing on someone new and expecting them to learn 100% remotely would be very difficult.
I guess we can all live without haircuts, but hard to say it isn't going to change society after a few months.
Construction. Half of this message board is lamenting a lack of affordable housing in Mass. Guess what's mostly not being built? (I actually think affordable housing projects are allowed to continue construction. Not exactly sure).
Dentists. Someone else mentioned dentists. They aren't open, and nobody is driving to appointments.
I'm sure there are 100 examples I'm not thinking of.
Less pollution is great. But I don't' think most of us are ready to live this life forever.
Quick Somebody Tell Gov. Cuomo
Seems like a whole lot of Nitrogen Dioxide [NO2] is still emanating from NYC
By the way -- NO2 is generated whenever you burn anything in air including tobacco and Marijuana
Also:
Re: Health effects of Nitrogen Dioxide and relationship to Urban Areas
*1
Article on Nitrogen Dioxide in Wikipedia
Health effects of NO2 exposure