Coronavirus pandemic prompts record drop in global emissions, study finds

Lockdowns, travel bans and factory closures drive reductionDramatic decline falls short of necessary global heating cutsThe coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest drop in heat-trapping emissions in human history, according to a new study. Lockdowns, travel bans and closed manufacturing sites have caused global emissions to drop by 4.6%, or 2.5 gigatonnes, according to a University of Sydney review of 38 regions and 26 sectors published in the journal Plos One. Fine particle pollution decreased by 3.8% and two other types of air pollution declined 2.9%: sulfur dioxide - which is linked to a number of respiratory issues, and nitrogen oxide, which leads to smog. Continue reading...