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Carbon emissions rapidly rebounded following COVID pandemic dip

As the COP26 climate summit rolls along, the latest data underscore countries’ dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.
By
  1. Jeff Tollefson
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The abrupt decline in global carbon dioxide emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by government-mandated lockdowns, will be all but erased by the end of this year, a consortium of scientists reports this week. It predicts that carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels will rise to 36.4 billion tonnes — an increase of 4.9% — in 2021 compared with last year (see ‘Pandemic rebound’). That’s a faster recovery than many scientists expected. The rapid rebound, driven in part by the increasing demand for coal in China and India, suggests that emissions will begin to rise anew next year without substantial government efforts to bend the curve, the researchers warn.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03036-x

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