Global Pandemic , Causes Carbon Dioxide Emissions, to Drop 7% in 2020 .
Although 2020 was a devastating year for many, COVID-19 lockdowns actually benefited the environment.
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The Global Carbon Project released a report revealing that carbon dioxide emissions fell by 7% across the world.
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That’s the biggest yearly drop ever recorded.
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In the United States and Europe, emissions dropped by 12 and 11 percent, respectively.
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Researchers believe the largest share of the decrease is due to less emissions from transportation.
In China, emissions only dropped by 1.7 percent, likely because they had an earlier lockdown and a less drastic second wave of infections.
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China also has more industrial-based emissions, meaning its industry was less affected than transportation by COVID-19 lockdowns.
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Unfortunately, global emissions still led to an increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, as it still amounted to 37 billion tons produced.
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The atmospheric CO2 level, and consequently the world’s climate, will only stabilize when global CO2 emissions are near zero, Lead Researcher Pierre Friedlingstein, University of Exeter, via ‘USA Today’.
In order to see lasting change, the Global Carbon Project says “concerted action” and “investment” is needed.
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We need concerted action that is planned, that is good for health and good for the environment but involves investment that helps tackle climate change.
, Corinne Le Quéré, University of East Anglia, via ‘Scientific American’