Climate Change

How has the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the environment, and consecutively, on climate change?

During the pandemic, global GHG emissions saw a 6.8% reduction — the first in decades — led by the industrial and transport sectors.Still, atmospheric CO2 concentration keeps increasing and our planet’s carbon absorption capacity is gradually deteriorating with time.

Positive feedback effects are amongst the main drivers, such as thawing permafrost releasing methane or the impact of microplastics, persistent pollutants, and high marine temperatures on the phytoplankton. Rising temperatures also affect the soil’s carbon fixation.

With the world population aiming for the 10+ billion mark before 2050, more than 3/4 of the efforts to mitigate GHG emissions are rendered vain by the growth of the main multiplier of humanity’s impact on the planet.