Good news for the planet: the global pandemic of the Coronavirus Covid-19 and the mass lockdown reduced CO2 emissions by 7%.
The global pandemic of Coronavirus Covid-19 It has been a hard blow for everyone emotionally, economically and socially, yes. But there is a silver lining to all of this: collective isolation helped the planet. At least that’s what the UN.
As marked in their most recent Annual report of gas emissions 2020, this year will bring like « benefit » a 7% reduction in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, one of the main gases that trigger the greenhouse effect:
As a result of reduced travel, lower industrial activity and lower electricity generation this year due to the pandemic, carbon dioxide emissions are expected to fall by as much as 7% in 2020.
Thanks to the pandemic
The industrial and daily activities of all were slowed down these months by the Covid-19 Coronavirus and this decrease in pollution would have had a positive consequence.
However, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) warns that this change represents only a reduction of 0.01 degrees Celsius in global warming by 2050.
Hence, we have highlighted it as a « benefit » in quotes. So even with this radical situation, we would be far from achieving the goals set in the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce our pollutant emissions.
So the long-term outlook for the end of this century looks more than complicated. Although it is likely that our generation will not witness the consequences of what is done today.
