Lockdowns due to the COVID-19 outbreak have resulted in measured improvements in air quality in cities such as Manila, the Philippines, seen here by drone on April 5, 2020. Herman Lumanog / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images Carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 fell by 7%, the biggest drop ever, as countries around the world imposed lockdowns and restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Global Carbon Project said in its annual assessment on Friday. The pandemic-struck year saw emissions cut by an estimated 2.4 billion metric tons, shattering previous records of annual declines, such as 0.9 billion metric tons at the end of World War II or 0.5 billion metric tons in 2009 when the global financial crisis hit. Researchers say the emissions are down mainly because more people stayed home and traveled less by car or plane this year. Transport accounted for the largest share of the global decrease in emission of carbon dioxide, the chief man-made greenhouse gas. Emissions from road transport fell by roughly half in April when the first wave of the coronavirus was at its peak. By December, it had fallen 10% year-on-year. Emissions from aviation were […]
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