Since the pandemic hit, carbon emissions have dropped globally. A study in “Nature Climate Change” found a 17 percent decrease in emissions by early April. In New England, data show that air pollution and energy consumption are down.
But most climate scientists agree this decline is temporary without bigger, sustained policy changes at the federal level.
On NEXT, we hear from scientists Rob Klee, lecturer at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Alex Barron, assistant professor of environmental science and policy at Smith College, about how systemic change can happen during a pandemic — and what are the barriers.
