Chinese factories have stopped production and planes are on the ground: But is the Corona virus in fact good for the climate?
➔The climate effect is only good short term according to Danish scientists.
When the Corona virus erupted in the Chinese province of Hubei earlier this year, the Chinese government had to act quickly. To contain the virus, they chose to shut down the province completely.
This meant that schools, factories and offices were empty while coal-fired power plants were running on lower levels.
Air pollution in China has almost disappeared
Photos taken by one of NASA’s climate satellites show that nitrogen dioxide pollution in the air over Chinese cities during the corona crisis has almost disappeared. But because of the closure of factories, walking paths and low-power plants, the pollution is now almost gone.
It has a positive effect on the climate – in the short term
It can be seen that emissions have decreased over a short period, but the Chinese will probably put a turbo on production when they open up society again. In this way, they will try to compensate for the losses during the corona crisis.
Many times in the past, emissions have decreased when there is a financial crisis. But when the crisis is over, emissions quickly go back to the previous levels.
Therefore, if we continue the current behavior, it will only have a significant effect on the climate.
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