17 pc decline in global carbon emissions due to COVID-19 lockdown: Study

The coronavirus-triggered lockdown has led to a steep fall in global carbon emissions by 17 per cent in early April as compared to 2019 levels with India's emissions dropping by 26 per cent, according to a study.

An international study published in the UK-based journal National Climate Change showed that the world experienced a sharp decline in carbon emissions between January and April, compared to average levels in 2019, and could decline anywhere between 4.4 per cent to 8 per cent by the end of this year.

"That figure would mark the largest annual decrease in carbon emissions since World War II," researchers said
Lead author Prof Corinne Le Qur of the University of East Anglia said, "Population confinement has led to drastic changes in energy use and CO2 emissions. These extreme decreases are likely to be temporary though, as they do not reflect structural changes in the economic, transport, or energy systems."