![]() ![]() More positively, COVID-19 is intensifying support in some parts of the world for more investment in emissions reduction and “building back better” than before. They are finding considerable support from their residents: In a recent international survey, 3 in 4 people in the countries polled expect their governments to make environmental protection a priority when planning the post-pandemic recovery. Some mayors, city councils, and planners are busily trying to modify their urban spaces to favor pedestrians and greener modes of transportation. Much depends on what national, state, and municipal governments do next. Since many city dwellers are understandably wary of public transit, the risk of a surge in commuting by car is real, especially in large metropolitan centers. Car traffic is increasing in many cities after governments loosened restrictions. ![]() In fact, evidence points to industrial pollution and air-travel emissions creeping back up in several countries. ![]() There is no guarantee that greenhouse-gas emissions will stay low after lockdowns are eased. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined from roughly 900,000 a day to only 300,000.) (Incidentally, the sharp slowdown in aviation also reduced the accuracy of weather forecasts, in part because the number of daily measurements of air temperature, humidity, and wind speed received from airplanes by the U.S. Not surprisingly, aviation’s carbon footprint shrank by 60 percent. The cost of air cargo tripled as shipping between countries ground to a halt. Travel restrictions between and within countries led to a reduction in the frequency of flights by almost 70 percent in May 2020 compared with the previous year, bankrupting a rash of airlines and putting most of the rest on life support from governments and central banks. The outbreak is considered to be the worst crisis to have ever hit the aviation sector. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted virtually every industrial sector and supply chain-but few sectors were hit harder than the airline industry. But it is far too early to celebrate: Recent improvements will be wiped out if industrial activity and energy use roar back unchanged in 2021. Their best estimate is that carbon dioxide declines may end up at around 4 to 7 percent by the end of 2020. While these declines are promising, most climate scientists are not optimistic that these changes will persist in the long run. Satellites managed by NASA and Planet Lab detected steep declines in vehicular traffic, which also contributed to a sharp decline in the nitrogen dioxide hovering above the world’s sprawling metropolises. A big reason for this was the sudden drop in manufacturing, power generation, shipping, and transportation. Within a few months of the spread of COVID-19 across Asia, Europe, and North America, global carbon dioxide emissions fell by an astonishing 17 percent compared with average daily levels in 2019. The question, however, is whether these improvements will be sustained after lockdowns ease. Specifically, government-led efforts to contain the spread of the disease have temporarily reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions-especially carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. Notwithstanding the incalculable pain and suffering generated by the coronavirus, there appears to be a silver lining. In the process, the pandemic has intensified many of the deep inequalities that define our world. Ever since it was first detected late in 2019, the disease outbreak and resulting lockdowns around the world have dramatically slowed globalization, especially the trade and travel that powered the largest economic boom in history. It is also waking up to the pandemic’s positive effects on the planet’s atmosphere, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The world has learned much about the devastating impact of COVID-19 on human health and well-being. ![]()
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