Global carbon dioxide emissions could fall by up to 7% this year, depending on ongoing restrictions and social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, research published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed on Tuesday. The study, by a group of scientists from institutions in Europe, the United States and Australia, analysed daily CO2 emissions across 69 countries, 50 U.S. states, 30 Chinese provinces, six economic sectors, and three levels of confinement, using data from daily electricity use and mobility tracking services.
In 2019, the world emitted around 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per day by burning fossil fuels and cement production, the research said. In early April 2020, emissions fell to 83 million tonnes per day, a drop of 17%, and some countries’ emissions dropped by as much as 26% on average during the peak of the confinement.
A U.N. report last year said emissions needed to drop by 2.7% a year keep warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, and 7.6% a year to keep below 1.5C. “Population confinement has led to drastic changes in energy use and CO2 emissions,” said lead author Corinne Le Quéré at the University of East Anglia. “These extreme decreases are likely to be temporary, however, as they do not reflect structural changes in the economic, transport, or energy systems,” she added.
Source: Reuters
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