HouseFresh curated a list of the most beautiful city views around the world, pulling examples from articles from Insider, RTE, and The Times. According to them, “when the first 2020 lockdown struck, a bonus was the drop in air pollution. The view through our windows seemed freshly polished. Tourist attractions shone with an intensity unseen for decades. Environmentalists keenly told us that this was a wake-up call, not a turning point”. However, this was only temporary.

The pictures show how the views in each city might look if pollution levels reached that of Ghaziabad, India, the second most polluted city in the world. The most polluted city in the world is Hotan, China, which reports air pollution predominantly as a result of desert dust storms rather than man-made pollution, which is why the ream chose the second-most polluted city.

If you’re wondering how you could help in the fight against air pollution, there are a few simple ways that are adaptable to our everyday lives. You should reduce the number of trips using a car as well as the times you use a fireplace or woodstove. Also, avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials, and using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

If you’re interested in learning more about the quarantine pollution drop, you can check out this post that includes 11 before-and-after comparisons showing the positive effect of the quarantine and how it was reducing pollution.