It was one of the main things I noticed during the first lockdown (and the end of it). My morning jog, and walk to and from were just so much nicer because my lungs did not feel irritated, despite the nice weather and high pollen count. It took two days from the end of the first lockdown for me to taste the pollution in the air again and it has only got worse since. It just shows how bad traffic really is and how much we need a reliable public transport sector across the whole country.
I remember reading something recently about how during the pandemic the average global temperature increased because there was less pollution. Pollution causes an albedo effect (reflecting back the heat of the sun), so with less of it, particularly aerosols, like those emitted by planes, and the high levels of greenhouse gases, more heat comes through and increases global temperatures.
It’s called the aerosol masking effect. Paradoxical, but it’s a thing, a scary thing.
The unfortunate reality is that even a 13% drop is nowhere near enough to get close to getting climate change under control.
Considering the total knackering of the global economy, it only caused a low double digit drop in carbon emissions which is terrifying.
Good. Let’s lock the country down again. Anything to get climate change under control. I can’t wait…
Honestly this is just depressing to me that such an extreme change only shrank it by that much.
So stopping all the cars and planes only managed to reduce carbon emissions – at most – by a paltry 13%. Best argument I’ve ever heard against restrictions on transport.
13% is nothing for the seismic shift that lockdown was to the average person’s day to day life
Just goes to show how much of it comes from businesses and not individuals
UK‘s carbon footprint is less than my state in India. Pollution is minuscule and nothing but politicians are taking you lot for a ride with ULEZ zones and green tax in fuel.
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It was one of the main things I noticed during the first lockdown (and the end of it). My morning jog, and walk to and from were just so much nicer because my lungs did not feel irritated, despite the nice weather and high pollen count. It took two days from the end of the first lockdown for me to taste the pollution in the air again and it has only got worse since. It just shows how bad traffic really is and how much we need a reliable public transport sector across the whole country.
I remember reading something recently about how during the pandemic the average global temperature increased because there was less pollution. Pollution causes an albedo effect (reflecting back the heat of the sun), so with less of it, particularly aerosols, like those emitted by planes, and the high levels of greenhouse gases, more heat comes through and increases global temperatures.
It’s called the aerosol masking effect. Paradoxical, but it’s a thing, a scary thing.
The unfortunate reality is that even a 13% drop is nowhere near enough to get close to getting climate change under control.
Considering the total knackering of the global economy, it only caused a low double digit drop in carbon emissions which is terrifying.
Good. Let’s lock the country down again. Anything to get climate change under control. I can’t wait…
Honestly this is just depressing to me that such an extreme change only shrank it by that much.
So stopping all the cars and planes only managed to reduce carbon emissions – at most – by a paltry 13%. Best argument I’ve ever heard against restrictions on transport.
13% is nothing for the seismic shift that lockdown was to the average person’s day to day life
Just goes to show how much of it comes from businesses and not individuals
UK‘s carbon footprint is less than my state in India. Pollution is minuscule and nothing but politicians are taking you lot for a ride with ULEZ zones and green tax in fuel.