Cities with dense commercial activities and intense road traffic experienced up to 75% emissions reduction linked to lockdown-measures.
The effect of the Covid-19 lockdown on CO2 emissions in seven European cities has been observed by the European infrastructure ICOS – Integrated Carbon Observation System. The study, conducted by an international team and coordinated by Fondazione CMCC and the University of Tuscia, shows a clear temporal connection between the restrictions and the emissions reduction, whose entity depends on the characteristics of the sampled areas and the stringency of the lockdown restrictions in place.
The Covid-19 related restrictions have forced many of us to stay at home. This has strongly reduced road traffic and economic activities particularly in cities and urban areas where majority of the people live. Consequently, this has also cut down human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere.
Although this reduction is not strong enough to be globally visible in the atmosphere, at local scale the changes in emissions can be observed.
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