While many have heard of the positive effects that the Covid-19 lockdown has had on the air quality in Chinese cities, Italy has seen positive effects, too. As Italy is on lockdown, greenhouse gas emissions have gone down. The amount of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere has fallen drastically. Nitrogen dioxide is a greenhouse gas produced by cars and powerplants. This pollutant causes asthma, inflammation of the lungs, and other harmful health conditions. Experts say that the decline is due to the reduction in driving, as half the country drives diesel-fueled cars. This change in the atmosphere shows once again how much impact we have on climate change and how the burning of fossil fuels hurts air quality.
Many hope that there will be a silver lining to the virus containment policies in the United States; that there will be a decrease in emissions because of school closures, work at home policies, and event cancellations. Riccardo Valentini, professor at Italy's University of Tuscia and director of the impacts division of the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, believes that the pandemic could trigger the most significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the last century.
- Given the evidence that greenhouse gases can be reduced, do you think that countries will be encouraged to try and meet the goals of the Paris Accord?
- In recent years, Italy has reduced the number of diesel-fueled cars on the road. Do you think that all countries should phase out diesel-fueled engines?
- What should countries do to maintain this improvement in air quality after the Covid-19 closures and lockdowns are over?
I think most countries will be more focused on containing COVID-19, then trying to help the environment. As much of a problem it is, this illness is a bigger threat at the moment. All countries should still try to cut down on emissions and hopefully maintain a reduction on the emissions. However, this is very hard considering many people drive cars on the daily.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that meeting the Paris Accord standards is a top priority among those in power. I think they will be more focused on COVID-19 and how they can stop or contain it. I think that there will be a silver lining in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. I think that all countries should phase out of diesel cars but I don't see it's relevance to the topic of COVID-19. I think that the pandemic could be a good segway into how lifestyle should be if we want to limit our greenhouse gas emissions and save the planet.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, greenhouse gas emissions and the Paris Accord is not of priority. Many leaders are focused n protecting their citizens from Covid-19 and ensuring safe conditions for their people. I do believe that all countries in the coming years should phase out diesel-fueled engines, as it will reduce carbon emissions.
ReplyDeleteI think many countries will be moved to reduce climate change but only once the hysteria from the pandemic of the coronavirus is over. I think all countries should phase out diesel-fueled engines because climate change should be the number one priority right now. Countries should work towards mitigation more rapidly. They could have monthly electricity shutdowns. They could invest more in renewable energy.
ReplyDeleteOur priority right now should not be greenhouse gasses and emissions, though it is nice that the levels have fallen. We do want to reduce emissions of course, but first we have to deal with the world pandemic. Once it is over, hopefully we can focus more on mitigation and adaptation, and of course taking measures to reduce emissions.
ReplyDeleteEven though people may see this as a silver lining, I feel that focusing on climate change is blinding ourselves from the consequences of Covid-19. We should not be worrying about the environment so much when there are hundreds of people dying. I think that all countries should phase out diesel engines because it would drop emissions by a lot. After Covid-19 is over, we should gradually put in more laws and regulations to phase out our carbon emissions. According to this article: https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-covid-19-is-doing-to-our-pollution-levels, Italy isn't the only country that has seen a reduce in emissions. Almost every country affected by the Covid-19 has seen significant changes.
ReplyDeleteSince all hands are on deck to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the goals of the Paris Accords should not be a top priority. Too many people are being infected and dying, only by focusing full efforts on virus mitigation can we limit the spread of it. Regarding the environment as a whole, many countries are already trying to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accords; the coronavirus will and is not a motivator for climate change.
ReplyDeleteI think that because a lot of countries are still working on containing the virus, when people are allowed out again, they won't necessarily be focused on greenhouse gas emissions as much. Because this drop in greenhouse emissions was unintentional, I think it's a good thing, but not anyone's priority, and won't be a lot of motivation to try and meet the goals of the Paris accord.
ReplyDeleteWhile the carbon emissions was a welcome side effect of the virus, most people are focused on the fact that that means that a lot of production is not happening, thus lowering the state of their economy. The countries are also going to be more focused on preventing the virus from spreading, and wouldn't be focused on the Paris Accords as they aren't as much of an urgent issue.
ReplyDeleteI think that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not a top priority right now for most countries, but in the future they could try to meet the goals of the Paris Accord. Although the emissions are decreasing, it wasn't really intended - it was just a side effect of dealing with coronavirus, so I think after the threat passes, emissions will definitely increase again. However, in the future countries could invest in more mitigation strategies, such as renewable energy, to slowly decrease emissions.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important things that this virus is showing us is that it's not too late to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but obviously this change can't be permanent. In order to maintain this countries should look into decreasing transportation or increasing public transportation access and convenience. In addition, countries should promote sustainable living and not relying on too many purchased goods in order to live.
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