Greenhouse gases saw a dramatic 17 percent plunge due to coronavirus lockdowns, a sudden decline likely without precedent
By Chris Mooney , Chris Mooney Reporter covering climate change, energy and the environment. Email Bio Follow Brady Dennis and Brady Dennis Reporter focusing on environmental policy and public health issues Email Bio Follow John Muyskens John Muyskens Graphics editor specializing in data analysis and visualization Email Bio Follow May 19 at 11:00 AM #g-virusemissions-chart-box{max-width:720px}#g-virusemissions-chart-box,#g-virusemissions-chart-box .
The unprecedented situation produced by covid-19 has offered a glimpse into the massive scale required to cut global emissions, year after year, in order to meet the most ambitious goals set by world leaders when they forged the 2015 Paris climate accord. Last fall, a United Nations report estimated that global greenhouse gas emissions must begin falling by 7.6 percent each year beginning in 2020 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“We can see now that behavior change alone is not going to do it,” said Corinne Le Quéré, lead author of the study and director of Britain’s Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research. Most researchers agree that emissions are all but certain to bounce back once countries reopen. Already, demand for energy is resuming as people return to the roads and many U.S. states begin easing stay-at-home orders that helped drive the price per gallon of gasoline to less than $1 at some pumps.
Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his country’s push to slash its emissions remains “undiminished” by covid-19 and the economic turmoil it has caused. He singled out airlines during remarks in Parliament last week, saying the sector must limit its carbon emissions even when normal flights resume.
The new research was conducted by Le Quéré, Jackson, Peters, and 10 other colleagues affiliated with the Global Carbon Project.
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