The Economy’s Recovery After Lockdown Is a Missed Climate Opportunity – Are You Thriving With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

CSIRO Chief Climate Scientist Pep Canadianell lament the reduction in lost emissions of Covid Lockdowns.

Scientists say climate change goals can be achieved by keeping global emissions at COVID levels

Science ABC / According to the environmental reporter Nick Kilvert

To keep climate change within limits that we can reasonably adapt to, the world needs to cut emissions at roughly the rate it did during the global peak of COVID.–19 pandemics, scientists say.

Main attractions:

• Relatively lower CO2 emissions from 2019 to 2020 than at any other time in recorded modern history
• Climate scientists say reducing emissions by the same percentage each year, by transitioning to a clean energy economy, could keep warming by about 1.5C
• They warn the climate emergency needs to be treated as urgently as a pandemic

Between 2019 and 2020, global carbon dioxide emissions experienced the largest annual decline ever recorded – 6.3% – a sharp decline during both the 2008 global financial crisis and an estimated decline after the end of World War II.

If we can continue that trend every year, we can limit warming to about 1.5 degrees Caccording to an international group of scientists, who published their findings today in Nature Geoscience.

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“It’s not just individuals doing their part to reduce the amount they travel – those are not the solution.

“We need a planned transition across society to make the necessary changes. “

It’s important to note that we will need to see this type of emissions reduction add up each year in a row as we move towards net zero, she said.

“That’s a really interesting example that shows you what it means when scientists say that we need immediate and ambitious action to [combat climate change]. “

The problem, of course, is in the economic recovery Canada said that after following the COVID restrictions, the emissions are headed north again.

“We missed an opportunity and made the decision that wasn’t the best for green recovery.“

“This tells you that the big change we’ve seen in the economy – in this case, because we shut it down – an equivalent shift needs to happen in the decarbonisation of the world. world,” said study co-author Pep Canadianell from CSIRO.

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Read more: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/101192612

Although Pep currently works for CSIRO, Pep already holds a degree from the University of Barcelona, ​​Spain. So I guess he’s no stranger to air travel emissions that he wants the rest of us to cut.

Pep avoids calling people to take away personal vehicle ownership or anything, but there doesn’t seem to be any other practical way to achieve the kind of climate-stopping emissions cuts Pep is asking for. . There seems to be no practical means to such a cut. Even as people switch from cars back to horses, horse manure produces a lot of methane.

Update (EW): Davidmhofer makes a good point, on the lack of impact of the Covid lockdown on global CO2 levels.