Given that the COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted life around
the world, does the resulting carbon dioxide emission drops spell good news for
the environment?
By: Ringo Bones
The resulting lockdown of the COVID 19 pandemic was seen to
have resulted in the largest drop in emissions in recent years and
also probably the most fitting way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary
of the very first Earth Day. But sadly the
disruption only results in a tiny drop of the overall concentration of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere because of how long the gas effectively lingers. The
current carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere now stands at 418 parts
per million and according to climate experts, this needs to stay at 350 parts
per million to avoid a runaway global warming.
It was estimated that for the entire 2020, the carbon
dioxide emissions could be down by 6-percent compared to previous years but
according to experts, we need an annual reduction of 7.5-percent to reach the
350 parts per million targeted by 2050 in order for catastrophic climate change
to be avoided. Still, according to energy and climate expert Constantine
Samaras, the message is clear: Just because this devastating pandemic has only
a small impact on today’s atmospheric carbon dioxide levels doesn’t mean the
climate crisis is lost.
