Coronavirus reduces China's CO2 emissions by 25%

The Covid-19 crisis may have caused a significant reduction in China's emissions into the atmosphere of CO2, reference gas in the greenhouse effect and climate change.

This is what Lauri Myllyvirta, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) based in Finland, has written in an article published by the UK-based website specializing in climate crisis information CarbonBrief.

According to Myllyvirta, one of the results of the health crisis situation has been that coal and oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 100 million tons compared to the same period last year, which means a reduction of at least 25% of emissions.

Traffic and industrial restrictions

In the last two weeks, CO2 emissions are close to 300 million tons, according to the experts of CREA.

Due to drastic containment measures and traffic restrictions to curb the epidemic, many factories remain inactive or run partially. However, Lauri Myllyvirta, warns that this cut in China's emissions will most likely be only a temporary effect, until the country regains its usual activity.