Coronavirus pandemic prompts record drop in global emissions, study finds

• Lockdowns, travel bans and factory closures drive reduction
• Dramatic decline falls short of necessary global heating cuts

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest drop in heat-trapping emissions in human history, according to a new study.

Lockdowns, travel bans and closed manufacturing sites have caused global emissions to drop by 4.6%, or 2.5 gigatonnes, according to a University of Sydney review of 38 regions and 26 sectors published in the journal Plos One. Fine particle pollution decreased by 3.8% and two other types of air pollution declined 2.9%: sulfur dioxide - which is linked to a number of respiratory issues, and nitrogen oxide, which leads to smog.