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United States
Pollution Leads to Higher Mortality
In the United States, more deaths from COVID-19 are occurring in areas with higher air pollution levels, according to a recent Harvard University study. After adjusting for variables such as smoking, age, population density, poverty, and obesity, researchers uncovered a positive correlation between increasing levels of air pollution and COVID-19 mortality. The study found that for every one microgram per cubic meter of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), COVID-19 mortality rises by 15%. Researchers theorize because the fine particulate matter can negatively affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, people with prolonged exposure are more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. The authors found, if New York City’s PM2.5 had been one microgram per cubic meter lower over the last twenty years, 248 lives potentially could have been saved in Manhattan alone.
This map depicts the national distribution of PM2.5 levels (top) and the number of COVID-19 deaths per one million people (bottom). All COVID-19 updates will be displayed in a red box.
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Europe
75th Anniversary
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. On this day in 1945, the Allied Forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany through the Armistice signed in Berlin. Known as “VE” or Victory in Europe Day, celebrations across Europe are being held to honor the millions of lives lost, and all those who served during the six-year conflict. Due to the ongoing pandemic, world leaders have encouraged familial and online festivities while holding their own memorials without the traditional crowds of prior years. Tomorrow marks a similar celebration, known as Victory Day, in some former Soviet countries including Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
This map depicts the surrender of Germany as it happened leading up to Victory Day on May 8th, 1945. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP
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Canada
Smart City Project Canceled
On Thursday, Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company) announced it will no longer continue plans to develop a “smart city” in a Toronto neighborhood. Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, cited economic complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for abandoning the estimated $1billion project dubbed the Quayside Project. Partnered with a government agency – Waterfront Toronto, the once proposed 12-acre (5-hectare) development site along the Quayside waterfront, had aimed to be a “more sustainable and affordable community resulting from innovations in technology and urban design”. The project had long faced strong opposition over privacy concerns as the city was to be integrated with hundreds of sensors collecting data on such things as air quality and the movements of people.
This map depicts the 12-acre (5-hectare) area proposed for the smart city in the Quayside neighborhood of Toronto, Canada. Click on the map to expand.
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Q: At about 123 kilometers (76 miles) long and 22 kilometers (14 miles) wide, which island holds the title of the world’s largest sand island?
A: Fraser Island, Australia
Situated off the east coast of Australia, Fraser Island also known by its Aboriginal name of K’gari is not only the largest sand island but it’s the only place on Earth where tall rainforests grow on sand dunes at elevations of more than 200 meters (656 feet). The island is also home to half of the world’s freshwater dune lakes and the world’s largest unconfined aquifer on a sand island.
Source
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Q: Listed as the largest surviving primeval forests in Europe, the Białowieża Forest straddles the border of which two countries?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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