Near-real-time monitoring of global CO2 emissions reveals the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted human activities, energy use, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study presents daily estimates of country-level CO2 emissions for various sectors using near-real-time activity data. The key finding is an abrupt 8.8% decrease in global CO2 emissions in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, exceeding decreases during past economic downturns or World War II. Emission reductions correlated with lockdown measures, with a partial recovery observed by July 1st as restrictions eased, although significant differences persisted between countries.

Zhu Liu, Philippe Ciais, Zhu Deng, Ruixue Lei, Steven J. Davis, Sha Feng, Bo Zheng, Duo Cui, Xinyu Dou, Biqing Zhu, Rui Guo, Piyu Ke, Taochun Sun, Chenxi Lu, Pan He, Yuan Wang, Xu Yue, Yilong Wang, Yadong Lei, Hao Zhou, Zhaonan Cai, Yuhui Wu, Runtao Guo, Tingxuan Han, Jinjun Xue, Olivier Boucher, Eulalie Boucher, Frédéric Chevallier, Katsumasa Tanaka, Yiming Wei, Haiwang Zhong, Chongqing Kang, Ning Zhang, Bin Chen, Fengming Xi, Miaomiao Liu, François-Marie Bréon, Yonglong Lu, Qiang Zhang, Dabo Guan, Peng Gong, Daniel M. Kammen, Kebin He, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber