One of the (few) positives of the global pandemic has been its effect on the environment.
The world saw the return of an extinct species, wildlife returned to cities it had otherwise abandoned, and overall the world seemed to benefit from humanity locking themselves down for a bit.
Greenhouse gas emissions have also come down; however, that doesn’t mean air pollution has dropped. In fact, the opposite is true: dangerous atmospheric carbon dioxide is its highest in history.
According to Inverse, dioxide levels were higher during the pandemic than in the same period in 2017 and 2018. And the reason for that is a tad scary.
While overall emissions from the likes of China, India and the United States dropped dramatically during lockdown, emissions from both Australian and US bushfires have contributed greatly to the increase of carbon dioxide.
Deforestation (due to fires or the farming industry) obviously removes trees, which tend to absorb carbon dioxide making it doubly troubling.
Despite some good news for the environment due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear going into lockdown for a few months hasn’t solved the issue of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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