How Paris saw big change in air pollution after bidding goodbye to cars | World News
Paris has changed a lot over the last 20 years not just in the way it looks, but in the way it breathes. The French capital has taken big steps to cut car traffic, swap roads for bike lanes, and build more green spaces. As a result, the air has become much cleaner. According to The Washington Post, a group that monitors air quality in the region, Airparif, reported this week that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has dropped by 55 percent since 2005. Nitrogen dioxide, another harmful pollutant, has fallen by 50 per cent. These changes, they said, are thanks to “regulations and public policies,” such as cutting down traffic and banning the most polluting vehicles. Heat maps from 20 years ago showed much of Paris glowing red with nitrogen dioxide, meaning nearly every neighbourhood was above the EU’s safe limit. But by 2023, the red had faded, showing only a few lines of pollution along major roads and highways. Story continues below this ad Health experts call air pollution a “silent killer” because it …
