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Klaralven

(7,510 posts)
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 04:58 PM Oct 2020

Biggest carbon dioxide drop: Real-time data show COVID-19's massive impact on global emissions

While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten millions of lives around the world, the first half of 2020 saw an unprecedented decline in CO2 emissions -- larger than during the financial crisis of 2008, the oil crisis of the 1979, or even World War II. An international team of researchers has found that in the first six months of this year, 8.8 percent less carbon dioxide was emitted than in the same period in 2019 -- a total decrease of 1551 million tonnes. The groundbreaking study not only offers a much more precise look at COVID-19's impact on global energy consumption than previous analyses. It also suggests what fundamental steps could be taken to stabilize the global climate in the aftermath of the pandemic.

"What makes our study unique is the analysis of meticulously collected near-real-time data," explains lead author Zhu Liu from the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University in Beijing. "By looking at the daily figures compiled by the Carbon Monitor research initiative we were able to get a much faster and more accurate overview, including timelines that show how emissions decreases have corresponded to lockdown measures in each country. In April, at the height of the first wave of Corona infections, when most major countries shut down their public life and parts of their economy, emissions even declined by 16.9 %. Overall, the various outbreaks resulted in emission drops that we normally see only on a short-term basis on holidays such as Christmas or the Chinese Spring Festival."

The study, published in the latest issue of Nature Communications, shows which parts of the global economy were most impacted. "The greatest reduction of emissions was observed in the ground transportation sector," explains Daniel Kammen, professor and Chair of the Energy and Resources Group and also professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. "Largely because of working from home restrictions, transport CO2 emissions decreased by 40 % worldwide. In contrast, the power and industry sectors contributed less to the decline, with -22 % and -17 %, respectively, as did the aviation and shipping sectors. Surprisingly, even the residential sector saw a small emissions drop of 3 %: largely because of an abnormally warm winter in the northern hemisphere, heating energy consumption decreased with most people staying at home all day during lockdown periods."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201014082806.htm

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Biggest carbon dioxide drop: Real-time data show COVID-19's massive impact on global emissions (Original Post) Klaralven Oct 2020 OP
Let's do more electric transport and wean ourselves from gasoline and diesel fuel. Hermit-The-Prog Oct 2020 #1
So what happens to poor people who can't afford an electric car? ansible Oct 2020 #7
So what happens to poor people who can't afford a gas-guzzler? Hermit-The-Prog Oct 2020 #8
They don't buy one? maxsolomon Oct 2020 #12
Get thee to the greatest page malaise Oct 2020 #2
Haven't been to a gas station for months. Liberal In Texas Oct 2020 #3
Billions of years of self-correcting StClone Oct 2020 #4
Its still not enough. roamer65 Oct 2020 #5
Correct - we are at/approaching seasonal low for the year, and we'll never see 410 ppm again hatrack Oct 2020 #6
Maybe Gaia is correcting the problem species from the damage they did with the pandemic? WyattKansas Oct 2020 #9
The air would be downright breathable if it weren't for the fires! Hekate Oct 2020 #10
Two silver linings in that cloud: Disaffected Oct 2020 #11

maxsolomon

(32,992 posts)
12. They don't buy one?
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 07:12 PM
Oct 2020

"Do more" doesn't mean "ban all cars poor people can afford". Always with the Binary oppositions.

Internal combustion engines aren't going to disappear in 2021.

Liberal In Texas

(13,457 posts)
3. Haven't been to a gas station for months.
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 05:21 PM
Oct 2020

Since covid, not working and when I was I was driving a PHEV and can do all of my local trips with no gas. So I'm using it now for errands and groceries etc. Another of our cars is a Honda Fit and as little as it's been driven lately means the gas tank hasn't been filled in almost 3 months.

hatrack

(59,446 posts)
6. Correct - we are at/approaching seasonal low for the year, and we'll never see 410 ppm again
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 06:07 PM
Oct 2020



October is the "low month" for atmospheric carbon, and the lowest daily reading so far in October was the 9th.

We've been going up in nearly two weeks since, and we'll likely break 420 ppm next May at the next seasonal peak.

At 2.13 billion metric tons per ppm, that'll put us 149 billion tons beyond the aspirations of 350.org.

And so it goes.

WyattKansas

(1,648 posts)
9. Maybe Gaia is correcting the problem species from the damage they did with the pandemic?
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 06:50 PM
Oct 2020

When you think about how rapidly it spread around the world and exactly how it spread, Gaia could be telling the human species that they need to change their ways of destroying the planet if they want to remain here.

Disaffected

(4,508 posts)
11. Two silver linings in that cloud:
Thu Oct 22, 2020, 07:02 PM
Oct 2020

Reduced CO2 emissions and, helps Trump lose the election.

Also much less air pollution.

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