Scientists at the Stanford University (USA) and the University of East Anglia (UK) found that the pandemic COVID-19 contributed to a significant reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, helping to slow the rate of global warming and the coming climate disaster. However, the positive effect does not continue long. Paper, revealing the impact of quarantine on climate change, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Daily carbon emissions worldwide declined by the beginning of April 2020, approximately 17 percent (17 million tons of carbon dioxide) in comparison with the average level of 2019, falling to the 2006 levels. In some countries, they fell by 26 percent. According to scientists, if the world will return to their previous level of emissions by the middle of June, the annual decline of four percent. In the case of conservation restrictions by the end of the year, this figure of seven per cent.
The main contribution (43 percent) in emissions reductions were made by reducing the use of ground transport. For industry and power generation accounts for another 43 percent emissions reduction. To the aircraft, which suffered greatly from measures to curb the pandemic, accounting for only 10 percent.
According to scientists, this effect is likely to be temporary, however, it is possible to adopt measures to achieve the objectives of the Paris 2015 agreement, which commits countries to limit temperature increase to two or 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial values.
