Images of clear skies from Beijing to Los Angeles over the last couple weeks have circulated online and brought attention to the air quality impact of stay at home and shutdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Los Angeles’ ubiquitous smog has seemingly disappeared as traffic as dramatically decreased by over 80% in the last couple weeks. According to CNN, for the first time since 1995, Los Angeles has seen the longest period of good air and had the cleanest air of any major city in the world. The presence of PM 2.5, a microscopic air pollutant linked to respiratory and cardiovascular problems, has decreased by 40% in the region. While this is good news, it is only temporary and came at the cost of the greatest global crisis since World War II.

The intersection between the environment and the Coronavirus pandemic more importantly has a very negative component. A national study conducted by Harvard University found that areas with high pollution and low air quality will experience a greater risk of death from COVID-19. It has been long documented that low-income communities and communities of color are at a higher risk of living in areas with poorer air quality and are more at risk for asthma and diabetes. Both conditions put people at a higher risk for more severe cases of coronavirus. In the United States, we need leadership around policies that protect clean air and address these inequities so that all communities can equally withstand a public health crisis or a climate-related disaster, and the resulting economic aftershock.

It is troubling that amid this global pandemic, the Trump administration relaxed vehicle emissions standards through the Safer Affordable Fuel Emissions. This acronym SAFE is deeply misleading as rolling back emissions standards is anything but safe – it is dangerous, it will inevitably lead to worse air conditions and endanger the lives of everyone, especially low-income communities and communities of color. Furthermore, it will ultimately be more costly for consumers at the pump.

As individuals and states are taking widespread measures to minimize the spread of the virus and the damage caused in its wake, it is even more incumbent on leaders, and especially those at the highest levels of the federal government, to protect its citizens that are most vulnerable. As Antwi Akom said in his keynote address at USGBC-LA’s MGBCE in 2017: When you design for the most vulnerable, everyone wins. This principle should apply to policies, buildings and just about everything we create in our communities.