Predictions were made earlier in the year, as the pandemic was getting underway, that CO2 emissions would be greatly reduced due to the enforced drop in economic activity and travel. The extent to which carbon emissions have fallen in 2020 has been calculated/estimated by Carbon Monitor.

The graph below shows that global emissions dropped by 6.5% in the period January-August 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. In EU27+UK the emissions reduced by 10.6%.  The timing of emissions decreases corresponds to lockdown measures in each country. By July 1st, the pandemic’s effects on global emissions diminished as lockdown restrictions relaxed and some economic activities restarted, especially in China and several European countries, but substantial differences persist between countries.

The largest contributor to the drop in the carbon emissions is the reduction in ground transport use - down 17 percent on 2019 and accounting for roughly half of the overall change. Of the individual countries for which data has been published, Spain has shown the largest decrease compared to 2019, as of August 31.

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