The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disaster for the world, but efforts to control the disease have produced at least one silver lining in terms of the environment: a decrease in global emissions.
Efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns, social distancing, and closures, resulted in a drop in the emissions of several harmful gases, most notably carbon dioxide, throughout much of 2020. According to Atul Jain, professor of atmospheric sciences, the Global Carbon Project, to which he was a contributor, estimated that, due to worldwide COVID-19 restrictions, carbon dioxide emissions dropped by 2.4 billion tons, or 7 percent, in 2020. See the entire story by Kimberly Wilson.