Daily global fossil CO2 emissions fell by 17% in early April 2020 compared to 2019 amid coronavirus lockdowns in most countries, with full-year 2020 emissions set to decrease by up to 7% depending on future social distancing.
HEATCOST will quantify health risks attributable to heat and air pollution (with a particular focus on air pollution from wildfires) in main world regions under selected climate scenarios and socioeconomic pathways.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a decline in air pollution and a change in people’s habits and communication forms following the introduction of strict measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. We have asked five CICERO scientists – each with different academic backgrounds – three questions about Covid-19’s impact on the climate.
In February, air pollution over large parts of China was reduced by 20 to 30 percent (1). If air pollution levels remain this low for a longer-term period, 50,000 - 100,000 premature deaths could be avoided according to calculations by CICERO, Norway's leading institute for climate research.
The unusual warm temperatures this winter and forecasts indicating milder winter conditions for January, February and March in Europe are partly due to an atmospheric circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation, or NAO. This atmospheric circulation pattern explains well the weather we get in Europe, especially in winter.
