by Helen Gloege ’23
Staff Writer
During peak lockdown in early April of this year, carbon or CO2 emissions dropped worldwide by 17 percent as compared to 2019. Current CO2 emission levels are nearly equivalent to those measured in 2006, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. However, researchers emphasize that this decrease may not be sustained, as CO2 emissions will likely only drop by about 4-7 percent depending on the trajectory of the pandemic.
In the wake of COVID-19 , some countries have already made decisions to move toward a greener future. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, put forth a $572 billion economic recovery plan with the goal for the EU to be climate-neutral by 2050. South Korea has also introduced the Korean New Deal, which puts a $135 billion investment in green and digital technology. President Xi Jinping announced recently that China will aim for carbon neutrality by 2060 and plans to peak its carbon emissions by 2030. China is currently the world’s biggest emitter of carbon and the largest energy financier with the biggest market. These moves from China, the EU and others put pressure on other countries to follow.
The pandemic has also forced some nations to focus on the effects of COVID-19 rather than environmental issues. Brazil, a country heavily impacted by COVID-19, is focusing on the pandemic while illegal loggers and miners are taking advantage of the situation and cutting down trees. The areas cleared by this process will then be burned to allow for cattle grazing, which could increase the risk of wildfires. In the United States, the EPA announced that it will enable companies to monitor themselves, and the agency “does not expect to seek penalties” if companies are unable to comply with regulations. This allows energy production facilities, industrial waste landfills and others to delay their reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is also exercising discretion in the enforcement of regulations, which could cause more methane gas leaking from pipelines.
The pandemic has also delayed international negotiations, including on climate change. The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference that was set to convene in November has been delayed for a year. Other international negotiations have also been delayed, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress, which has been postponed to January of 2021. The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, which would have launched new global rules to protect wildlife and plants, has also been postponed. A meeting to finalize the High Seas Treaty to establish agreements for conservation and sustainable development for ocean biodiversity in international waters has been pushed to 2021. The High Seas Treaty has been in the negotiation stage since 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many new difficulties regarding scientific research. The World Meteorological Organization published a report which concluded that the pandemic will cause long-term damage to climate change monitoring. One of the significant impacts of the pandemic is on the global observing system, which will impact the quality of forecasts and other weather-, climate- and ocean-related services.
Additionally, in March, nearly all oceanographic research vessels were recalled to their home ports. The full-depth ocean surveys of variables are completed only once every decade and they were unable to occur this year. Alternatives such as commercial ships, ocean buoys and other systems are unable to contribute to this. There was also an average of a 75-80 percent reduction in aircraft-based observations in March and April, and manually operated weather station observations have been disrupted. Finally, there also has yet to be a measurement of glaciers or the thickness of permafrost. This will lead to long-term impacts in scientific research as a result of incomplete data.
This year, there has also been an inability to study the reduced CO2 emissions due to travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines put in place due to the pandemic. Without this information, it is not possible to tell how these reductions have affected the earth.
As we know, the pandemic has directly affected our STEM classes at school, as labs that would normally be in person have moved online to fit within the module system. Across the board, science classes have adapted to the online learning experience in many different ways. In BIOL-230 Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, the class has altered the labs to focus on and learn about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Grace Wallsinger ’23 said, in regard to the course, “I really do appreciate that they kind of embraced the change and decided to use this opportunity to focus on how biology relates to our lives right now and do something that is possible for us to do at home.”