Lower emissions during Covid-19 pandemic led to increased warming: Study
The Covid pandemic shutdowns in South Asia greatly reduced the concentration of short-lived cooling particles in the air, but barely affected the levels of long-lived greenhouse gases, leading to stronger climate warming, a study shows.
In the spring of 2020, the activity of many industries and transportation worldwide decreased due to pandemic restrictions.
At Hanimaadhoo, a measuring station in the northernmost Maldives off the coast of India, researchers have been measuring the atmospheric composition and radiation for two decades.
The measuring station is strategically placed to capture air masses from the Asian subcontinent and located in an area with few regional emission sources.
When emissions suddenly decreased during the pandemic in South Asia -- mainly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- an opportunity was created to see what impact this had on the climate.
The study, published in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, found that the concentrations of polluting