Last year consisted of a turbulent 12 months and for many people, climate change was not the largest concern. So, how has coronavirus impacted the climate crisis?
It has had quite the positive impact. Lockdowns have shut down industries as well as decreased the amount of people taking car and plane journeys. The combination of these actions has led to reduced CO2 emissions globally. Within the UK it has been reported that there has been a fall of emissions by 26.3%*. Similar data was recorded worldwide and in Brazil there was a reduction of emissions by 31.3%*. It has also come to light that the reduction in emission rates has been larger than that of the economic slowdown of WW2. People have even been able to see the changes, those living in some of the most polluted cities have reported that they were able to see the difference in air quality.
However, as many countries had their restrictions lifted the amount of CO2 emitted
immediately began to rise and sadly on the 1st of June 2020, we reached the
highest level of CO2 concentration in human history.
*These figures were recorded during the lockdowns of each country.
Written by Jasmine St Pier
Artwork by Delicia
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