It has been nearly nine weeks since Michigan schools shut down, and many other countries around the world shut down well before that. Since the beginning of quarantine, scientists have […]
It has been nearly nine weeks since Michigan schools shut down, and many other countries around the world shut down well before that. Since the beginning of quarantine, scientists have been predicting that the shutdowns will have a significant effect on the environment, but a new study in the journal Nature provides concrete evidence for those claims. Scientists have discovered that as driving, airplane travel, and heavy industry have largely shut down, global carbon dioxide emissions have decreased by nearly a billion tons since early March. The peak decline in emissions occurred in April, when scientists measured an average drop of 17%.
That is a tremendous decrease, but considering the unprecedented steps that were needed to get there, it is not all that much. In order to completely halt carbon emissions and slow global warming, shutdown measures would need to be implemented permanently and five times more strictly. Scientists estimate that when January 1st, 2021 arrives the total annual emissions for 2020 will be between 4 and 7 percent lower than 2019, depending on when and how fast countries reopen. A United Nations report from last fall said that global carbon emissions must start falling by at least 7.6% to avoid the worst effects of climate change, slightly higher than the predicted decrease this year from COVID-19. In order to really deal with climate change we need to change how civilization operates on a massive scale. We must give up all the same industry that we have given up during this shutdown and replace it with renewable energy. This decrease in carbon emissions is dramatic and good, but scientists are already saying that it won’t last forever.
Writer of many interests entering my third year at The City Voice. If you have a question about any of my articles, or a topic you want me to write about, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at the.scrivener.chms@gmail.com.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
This count is measured over the lifetime of your account and increased each time someone clicks on one of your articles. The number may be slightly overinflated as a single reader could count as multiple by reloading their page, but this does not happen often so the count is relatively accurate.