The impact of COVID-19 on CO2 emissions
Have COVID-19 restrictions been good or bad news for climate change?
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By John Lang
@johnlangabShare
Last updated:
COVID-19 enforced restrictions will dent global CO2 emissions in 2020 compared with 2019. But this decline will not, by itself, put a dent in climate change. To help explain why, we're introducing a new climate character: the name's 'Brick'.
Brick shows us why temporary CO2 emission reductions will not slow down global warming — unless, that is, another set of characters, namely governments, decide to intervene and help emission reductions become permanent.
Sources
- European Commission, 'Supporting climate action through the EU budget', 2020
- Global Carbon Project, Global Carbon Budget 2019
- IEA, 'Batteries and hydrogen technology: keys for a clean energy future', 2020
- IEA, Sustainable Recovery: World Energy Outlook Special Report, 2020
- IMF, World Economic Outlook: The Great Lockdown, 2020
- IPCC, Special Report on 1.5°C, 2018
- Liebreich, 'Energy Efficiency Key To Covid Recovery', BloombergNEF, 2020