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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,111 posts)
Tue May 19, 2020, 07:52 PM May 2020

Coronavirus dramatically reduced carbon emissions, but it won't last

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we move around cities and the planet in drastic ways. We've been stuck inside with troublesome housemates or adoring pets, taking cars off the road, grounding planes and dramatically altering how much energy we're using. So it's no surprise the planet has been able to take a bit of a breather: We've had cleaner air, cleaner water and the animals are reclaiming our cities.

A new study, published in Nature Climate Change on Thursday, has put a figure on the impact the pandemic has had on global carbon dioxide emissions. Using government policies and activity data up until the end of April 2020, the estimates suggest daily emissions have dropped by almost a fifth compared to 2019.

"Emissions reached their peak decline on 7 April, with a 17% decline compared to the same time last year," said Pep Canadell, who leads the Global Carbon Project and is a co-author on the paper, in a statement. The reduction is equal to a drop of around 18.7 million tons of carbon dioxide. There is an important caveat: These are estimates based on mean daily emissions data captured between 2017 and 2019.

Combining energy, activity and policy data from 69 countries, including the world's biggest emitters such as China, the US, Europe and India, the team estimated the effect of various confinement measures, ranging from no restrictions to national lockdowns, on various carbon-emitting sectors of the economy.

https://www.cnet.com/news/coronavirus-dramatically-reduced-carbon-emissions-but-it-wont-last/?ftag=CAD-04-10abi6g&bhid=24447454298893839703959737945916&mid=12841220&cid=534320049

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Coronavirus dramatically reduced carbon emissions, but it won't last (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin May 2020 OP
I am hoping that old gas spewing habits may have changed people's behaviors in ways ... SWBTATTReg May 2020 #1

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
1. I am hoping that old gas spewing habits may have changed people's behaviors in ways ...
Tue May 19, 2020, 08:45 PM
May 2020

that we're yet to fully analyze. Perhaps some of these reduced emissions (along w/ the reduced cost of fossil fuels) may retain themselves into the future. After all, we've finally had an event in which the human race actually and jointly reduced emissions, as well as participate in joint economic and/or survivalist tactics.

The unfortunate exception is Donald Trump. The CV epidemic and his grossly incompetent responses in handling the CV epidemic will be written in history books for the future and will be required reading to study where one of the worst disasters to hit the US will be laid at the hands of one person and one person only.

What a tribute. This will the noose around his neck forevermore. His lack of forward leadership skills, his childish and gross antics do and did not lend themselves to moving all of us forward on the same path.
If anything, Donald trump was more interested still in him, and him only, despite the death all around him.
The rest of the GOP knows this too. I'll predict you'll see them all running for the doors now.

I think (IMHO) that that some economic activities will be forever changed, and new economic activities created, like any crisis mankind undergoes. We're yet to see the full impact.

I anticipate some activities may not ever resurrect themselves to their former level (maybe deemed too dangerous?), while some new activities may see a permanent nature, e.g., house disinfecting processes (new homes for sale may require a thorough cleaning prior to sale to reassure new buyers, etc.), manufacturers keeping both production lines going for both the business and home markets (toilet paper and other paper goods), medical supplies will be expanded as more and more homes adopt hand sanitizers, masks, gloves, etc.

Other new technologies such as ventilators that serve multiple persons each will be expanded and developed further and perhaps a dual separation of medical facilities will be more of a permanent feature across the landscape (for different subsets of disease). Maybe now that all see the urgency of medical facilities in rural areas (with the unfortunate spread of the CV into rural areas), there will be no more closing of rural hospitals and/or clinics, or some sort of compromise can be made, that will allow more of these smaller hospitals/clinics to remain open in rural areas.

The list of new economic activities goes on and on. However, I didn't touch on the list of discontinued economic activities. I'm sure that there are a few of these items.

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