Since mid-March, as it has been the case for many, my life pattern has had to adapt to the new “stay at home” mantra.

I have discovered the joys of being a full-time homeworker, as my airpods have become an integral part of my body and my work pattern has become more intense than it ever was in the office. On the other hand, this giant anthropological experiment has, somehow oddly, supported and improved communication among colleagues, almost working like a giant bonding exercise. Another benefit is that I can enjoy my evening walks in Paris without being annoyed by the usual hordes of tourists.

During my escapades there is one thing I cannot fail to notice: the quality of the air I am breathing seems much better, and I do not believe this is the result of an olfactory hallucination. Images from European Space Agency satellites seem to confirm this. They show much reduced levels of nitrogen dioxide — the poisonous offshoot of burnt fossil fuels that is related to