Did CO2 Emission Reduce In Atmosphere During COVID Lockdowns?

Just as we were celebrating the air becoming cleaner due to the coronavirus induced lockdowns, a study says there is nothing to be happy about.

The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has not yet changed despite the restrictions of social life caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, said a study. It calls for better models to quantify the ability of land and ocean ecosystems in trapping released greenhouse gases, reported The Deccan Herald.

While reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of up to eight per cent have been estimated for 2020, the concentration of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has not yet decreased, revealed the measurements made by scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany.

According to the study, published in the journal Remote Sensing, while the COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to increasingly work from home, lowering traffic volume and carbon dioxide emissions, this reduction may be insufficient, The Deccan Herald reported.

“To reduce carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere in the long run, restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic would have to be continued for decades. But even this would be far from being sufficient,” Ralf Sussmann, a co-author of the study from KIT was quoted as saying by The Deccan Herald.

According to scientists, the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius can only be reached by an immediate significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and a further decrease down to zero by 2055.

“The restrictions imposed during the corona crisis, however, are far from being sufficient. They have just resulted in a one-time reduction by eight per cent,” Sussmann was quoted as saying in the report.