JOIN USCovid-19-related lockdowns will not impact the climate crisis significantly, says study
While pollution levels have reduced due to Covid-19 related lockdowns, scientists believe this would not have a significant impact on the climate crisis
Governments across the globe imposed a series of lockdowns and restrictions in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Images of animals wandering around on once-busy streets went viral and many proclaimed that ‘nature is healing’.
While pandemic-related lockdowns may have resulted in the immediate reduction in pollution levels, they would not have any long term impact on the climate crisis, reports a study.
The research was based on Google and Apple’s mobility data, which gives information about people's movement and travel history, allowing researchers to estimate emission levels. In the study, they kept a track of the 123 countries that together contribute to 99 per cent of the total CO2 emissions.
Current CO2 levels have dropped below by 25 per cent, NO2 levels dropped by 35 per cent, since April 2020.
However, these lockdowns are hard to enforce on the people in the short term and on the economy of a nation in the long term. Scientists believe that therefore, they would not have a significant effect on the climate crisis.
In fact, it is estimated that even if some form of lockdown or government-imposed restriction lasts till 2021, without other forms of intervention, it would only reduce global temperatures by 0.01 degree celsius by 2030.
Instead of lockdowns, scientists say that the post-Covid recovery plan that countries across the world choose to adapt would have a more lasting and definitive effect on the climate crisis.
The study, led by Professor Piers Forster estimated that recovery plans with a strong green stimulus would be more beneficial and could even help countries achieve the global temperature goals set by the Paris Agreement.