In May 2020, an international team of scientists set out to analyze the impact of global lockdown, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, on the environment. As a consequence of mobility restrictions (imposed or voluntary) to stop the spread of the coronavirus, traffic vanished and many industries stopped production, with the consequent drop in greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the conclusions of the study were as follows: between the months of January and April 2020, emissions decreased, on average, by 8.6% compared to the values for the same period in the previous year. In addition, the steepest decline was reached on April 7, with a 17% drop in emissions compared to the same day in 2019. Finally, with the recovery of mobility and industrial activity, it was estimated that the total reduction of emissions at the end of the year will be only 4.2%.
But this brief and slight impact of the lockdown will not be enough to cause a significant reduction in emissions and, of course, it will not be relevant enough to reverse or in some way slow down the climate change in which we are already immersed. And, in this context, COVID-19 has brought more bad news than good news.
Released on September 9, a new multi-agency report from scientific organizations, United in Science 2020, – and produced by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – highlights the increasing and irreversible impacts of climate change, which affects glaciers, oceans, nature, economies and human living conditions, often related to water, such as droughts or floods. It also documents how COVID-19 has not only had no impact in reversing the situation, but has also impeded our ability to monitor these changes through the global observing system.
Climate change has not stopped, far from it. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at record levels and continuing to rise. Emissions are now heading toward pre-pandemic levels following a temporary decline caused by the lockdown and the economic slowdown.
Some conclusions of the report
The report’s findings also detail how the world is expected to experience its five warmest years on record , in a trend that is likely to continue, and is not on track to meet agreed targets to keep global temperature rise very well. below 2 ° C or 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels.
For example, as of early June 2020, global daily CO2 emissions from fossil fuels were 5% below 2019 levels; Still, last year’s emissions reached a new record of 36.7 Gigatons, 62% higher than at the beginning of the climate change negotiations in 1990.
During the peak close in early April 2020, daily CO2 emissions were reduced by an unprecedented 17% compared to 2019. All in all, emissions remained equivalent to 2006 levels, both highlighting the strong growth in CO2 emissions. last 15 years as the continued dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source.
The report also showed that projected cuts in annual global emissions between 2020 to 2030 are close to 3% for a 2 ° C target and more than 7% per year on average for the 1.5 ° C target of the Accord. Paris. As quoted in the article: “If the objectives are to be met, the energy transformation should not be delayed any longer.”
You can read the more detailed conclusions of the study here.
There is hope?
According to the report, it is still possible to close the emissions gap, but this will require urgent and concerted action from all countries and in all sectors. In the short term, the solution starts with using renewable energy and energy efficiency, low-carbon means of transport and a phase-out of coal.
Looking beyond 2030, new technology solutions and a gradual change in consumption patterns are needed at all levels.
