Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The international scientific research journal Nature Communications has published the results of a study on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

According to the document, global carbon dioxide emissions in the first half of 2020 decreased by 8.8% (by 1.6 billion tons) amid restrictions on travel and economic activity due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

This reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is unprecedented. It is larger than during the 1979 oil crisis and the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The study is based on data on electricity production in 31 countries, daily car traffic in more than 400 cities around the world, passenger flights and industrial production.

Scientists argue that a significant part of the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the first half of the year was associated with a drop-in activity in the transport (by 40%), energy (22%) and industrial (17%) sectors.

However, despite the positive dynamics in reducing CO2 emissions, scientists note a resumption of its pre-crisis level, especially in China, where quarantine measures have been eased to a greater extent than in Europe and the United States.

In July-August this year, China’s emissions were 2.7% higher compared to the same period in 2019 amid a return to business as usual.

At the same time, experts believe that reducing CO2 emissions will not have a significant impact on temperature changes on the planet in the long term, as the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise due to the consumption of fossil energy sources.

In general, experts emphasize that in the post-pandemic period, an increase in the level of greenhouse gas emissions should be expected, especially in the industrial sector.

The situation, as the researchers note, will be aggravated by the fact that in the near future, the governments of the countries of the world, due to the high level of unemployment and the rapidly growing public debt, will not be able to afford to allocate funds to fight global climate warming.