The WHO (World Health Organization) judges pollution by the amount PM 2.5—particulate matter that measure 2.5 microns or less—in the air. WHO guidelines call for concentrations of PM 2.5 that are no more than ten micrograms per cubic meter. This animated map displays 19 years of global air quality, using the WHO’s PM 2.5 limit as a baseline. The last several seconds, condensing the 19-year-global trend into one image, are a stark illustration of the progress made in some parts of the world, and the ongoing struggle in others. When the coronavirus epidemic was reaching its initial peak in April of this year, observers noticed an interesting side effect of the global slowdown in activity. The emissions that cause air pollution were declining. Although experts caution that lockdowns have not slowed climate change, the world has made some progress in improving air quality in recent years. In the United States, the Clean Air Act and other regulations have led to significant improvements in the air we breathe. In other parts of the world, particularly developing countries, air quality remains a serious health risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the combination of indoor and outdoor air pollution is responsible for seven million premature deaths every year. This animated map was made using Esri's ArcGIS Pro and Adobe After Effects. Please visit http://ow.ly/fm2950xgu0B for more information about ArcGIS Pro. Data Source: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) Data Layer: http://ow.ly/nBWO50BzEcJ Read Lisa Berry's blog post discussing this data: http://ow.ly/iDIc50BzEdR Music: Divine Splendor by Ian Post --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Social Media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Esri Facebook: https://facebook.com/EsriGIS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/esri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esrigram The Science of Where: http://www.esri.com