Silver lining

I am the first to applaud the courage of our NHS staff who risk their lives to save ours. Every Thursday has become iconic of this gesture. My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones to (what Boris Johnson described as) the “invisible mugger”. However, the media seems to have forgotten the important silver lining of the changes in the environment for the better, like clearer sky at night, the dawn chorus sounds louder, and of course pollutants are down. This is something to celebrate. Francisco Mesa, Cornwall

It has indeed been nice to hear the sounds of birds where there was once the sound of cars. And, with regards to climate change, there have been a number of different analyses that show emissions this year will fall by 4-8 per cent, somewhere between two and three billion tonnes. But it’s important to note that we’ve still got a way to go before we get to net zero emissions, as laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement.

There are some other areas of science where lockdown has provided researchers with an unexpected opportunity – you can read a piece on this very subject on our website: bit.ly/lockdown-research

Amy Barrett, editorial assistant BBC Science Focus

Less traffic noise and better air quality have been silver linings of the pandemic