Coronavirus could trigger biggest fall in carbon emissions since World War Two

(Reuters, 3 Apr 2020) But experts warn that without structural change, emissions declines caused by coronavirus could be short-lived as economies get back to normal.

Carbon dioxide emissions could fall by the largest amount since World War Two this year as the coronavirus outbreak brings economies to a virtual standstill, according to the chair of a network of scientists providing benchmark emissions data.

Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, which produces widely-watched annual emissions estimates, said carbon output could fall by more than 5% year-on-year -- the first dip since a 1.4% reduction after the 2008 financial crisis.

"I wouldn't be shocked to see a 5% or more drop in carbon dioxide emissions this year, something not seen since the end of World War Two," Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University in California, told Reuters in an email.

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Reuters, 3 Apr 2020: Coronavirus could trigger biggest fall in carbon emissions since World War Two