[ad_1]
For the first half of 2020, climate researchers have determined an “unprecedented decrease in CO2 emissions” around the world. Compared to the same period last year, 1.551 million tons less carbon dioxide were emitted, according to a study by an international research team published Wednesday in the journal “Nature Communications.” Consequently, the crown pandemic caused a decline stronger than the financial crisis or World War II.
In April, when most countries restricted public life, CO2 emissions worldwide fell by 16.9 percent. Effects comparable to those that occur after several crown outbreaks “generally only occur for a short time on holidays such as Christmas or the Chinese Spring Festival,” as study author Zhu Liu of Tsinghua University in Beijing explained.
Emissions in land transport are the ones that have decreased the most. “Mainly due to the widespread use of work from home, CO2 emissions in traffic decreased by 40 percent worldwide,” said study author Daniel Kammen of the University of California at Berkeley. With 22 and 17 percent, respectively, the energy and industrial sectors registered minor falls.
Only minor long-term effects
The survey is unique because of the data that is “measured in near real time.” For the study, the researchers evaluated, among other things, hourly data sets for electricity generation in 31 countries. Vehicle traffic in more than 400 cities, production data for industry in 62 countries, and fuel consumption data for 200 countries were also included.
However, the temporary decrease has only minor effects on the long-term CO2 concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere. “This decrease in CO2 is unprecedented, but a decrease in human activities cannot be the answer,” said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “What we really need to focus on is reducing the carbon intensity of our global economy.”
