According to a report released on December 11 by the global carbon program, an international non-governmental organization, preliminary data show that global carbon dioxide emissions will fall by 7% in 2020. The Group believes that novel coronavirus pneumonia is a major reason for the reduction in travel by car and aircraft during the outbreak of new crown pneumonia.

This report is led by the global carbon project and completed by the cooperation of multinational researchers. The report was published in the German Journal earth system scientific data on December 11.

The report estimates that the world will emit 34 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2020, 2.4 billion tons less than that in 2019. The emission reduction of the transportation industry accounts for the largest share. The emission of road transportation and aviation industry in 2020 is expected to decrease by about 10% and 40% respectively compared with that in 2019.

However, Colina Le Carlyle, a professor at the University of East Anglia, who participated in the study, predicted that global carbon dioxide emissions would pick up after the end of the epidemic. It is too early to predict how much the emissions will rebound in 2021 and beyond, which largely depends on the effect of economic stimulus measures after the end of the epidemic.

The team said the growth of global carbon dioxide emissions has slowed in recent years, partly due to the promotion of climate policy. From 2010 to 2020, 24 countries have significantly reduced emissions while their economies are still growing.

The report also points out that, despite the reduction in emissions in 2020, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will continue to increase, with an average of 412ppm (ppm of one part per million) for the whole year. Pierre friedlinstein, a professor at Exeter University in the UK, who led the study, explained that although global emissions were not as high as they were last year, the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is still increasing and its concentration continues to increase. Only when the global emission is close to zero, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be stable.

Source: China Environment News