COVID-19 Lockdowns Will Have Negligible Effect on Climate Change

A new study finds reductions in greenhouse gases are insufficient to substantially slow warming, and the authors argue that to continue the benefits of reduced emissions, policymakers will need to adopt green economic recovery strategies.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 3 min read

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climate change, greenhouse gas, emission, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, pandemic, transportation, lockdown, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfer oxides, google, apple, data, mobility

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The current pandemic is an unprecedented opportunity to study how global climate responds to a massive drop in human activity. And so far, it appears that lockdowns are likely to have little effect on climate change unless future economic recovery plans include green policies, according to a study published Thursday (August 6) in Nature Climate Change.

While previous research this spring had noted a 17 percent decline in carbon dioxide emissions worldwide associated with reduced human activity during the pandemic, the current study includes nine other greenhouse gases and relies on anonymized movement data gleaned from Google and Apple phones to track the activity of 4 billion people. In April 2020, the authors found, global emissions fell 10 percent to 30 percent as the world sheltered in place and businesses operated at a reduced capacity. The researchers caution that despite these sizable declines, the overall effect ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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