Quarantine, Climate and Carbon Emissions

Stanford Earth Professor Rob Jackson, a senior fellow with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Enviornment and the Precourt Institute for Energy, has conducted a number of interviews about the impact of quarantines on carbon emissions and air quality. For an overview, see below. Journalists seeking to contact Jackson or other experts on disease dynamics, ecology, transmission, and other public health factors can download our COVID-19 expert tipsheet or contact the central university communications office for a broader overview of scholars.

In a new study by the Global Carbon Project, Jackson and his co-authors find a 17% decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to the global shelter-in-place orders tied to the coronavirus pandemic. The study pinpoints where energy demand has dropped the most, estimates the impact on annual emissions and points the way to a less polluted future. In a Q&A, Jackson discusses what the current pandemic can teach us about behavior change, kickstarting a recovery and more. Read the full Q&A, the study and related media coverage below.

September 20, 2020 | Environmental Gains During Pandemic Prove Short-Lived | The Hill

September 19, 2020 | The Flight Goes Nowhere . And It's Sold Out. | The New York Times

August 5, 2020 | COVID-19 Gave the Planet a Break. Now’s the Time to Keep Up the Momentum | Digital Market News

July 28, 2020 | Corona Capital: Baseball, Gas Cloud, Luxary Goods | Reuters

July 9, 2020 | 2020 is Our Last, Best Chance to Save the Environment | TIME

July 9, 2020 | Covid-19's Environmental Benefits Evaporate as World Repopens | The Wall Street Journal

June 22, 2020 | Meet the Press | NBC

June 21, 2020 | Recession Likely to Hinder Rebounding Emissions Levels | The Hill

June 18, 2020 | Fossil Fuel Emissions Are Surging Back Afer Coronavirus Lows| LX NBC

June 18, 2020 | After a Recent Drop, CO2 Emissions are Surgung Back as Countries and States Reopen |Background Briefing | KPFX

June 17, 2020 | Emissions are Surging Back as Counties and States Reopen | The New York Times

Jun 16, 2020 | Carbon Levels Fell with the Virus. Now They're Surging Back.  | E&E News | Re-printed in Scientific American

June 15, 2020 | What Lockdown? Traffic Returns and so do Carbon Emissions | Grist

June 15, 2020 | Environmental Leadership Will Be More in Demand Than Ever After COVID-19 | World Economic Forum 

JUne 15, 2020 | COVID-19 May Have Temporarily Lessened Our Carbon Foodtprint | wuwf88.1 (NPR)

June 5, 2020 | Aviation Sees the Highest Drop in CO2 Emissions Due to Pandemic | Business Traveller

June 4, 2020 | Earth's Carbon Dioxide Levels Hit Record High, Despite Coronavirus-Related Emissions Drop | The Washington Post | Also included in Energy 202.

June 4, 2020 | CDC Wants People to Drive Solo to Avoid Coronavirus, Sparking Fear Over More Congestion adn Emissions | CNBC | Also picked up by BestLife

June 3, 2020 | Data Find Rainforests Lost 14,000 Square Miles in 2019 | EcoWatch

June 3, 2020 | Rainforest Losses 'Stubbornly' Unabated | DW

May 31, 2020 | Global Emissions Have Dropped 17 Percent During Coronavirus Pandemic | Grit Daily 

May 29, 2020 | Report: COVID-19 Crisis Causes 17 Percent Drop in Global Carbon Emissions | Tunis Daily News (Tunisia)

May 25, 2020 | Global Carbon Emissions Drop by 17% amid COVID-19 Pandemic | Meet the Press | MSNBC

May 25, 2020 | Carbon Dioxide Emissions Fall — But by Accident | Climate News Network

May 24, 2020 | Lockdowns Cut Daily Carbon Emissions in April to 17% Below Last Year's Average - But That Only Gets Us Back to 2006 Levels | Business Insider

May 22, 2020 | Turning COVID-related Drop in CO2 Emissions into a Plan to Fight Climate Change | Quirks & Quarks | CBC Radio

May 21, 2020 | Can Covid Help Flatten the Climate Curve? | The Economist 

May 21, 2020 | COVID-19 Offers Lesson on Risk of Ignorning Climate Change | Editorial | The Mercury News

May 21, 2020 | Daily Carbon Dioxide Emissions Have Dropped Since Shelter in Place, Bay Area Researcher Says | KRON 4

May 21, 2020 | Study Envisions Changing Energy Scenario in Post-Pandemic World | The Week

May 21, 2020 | CO2 Emissions Have Declined Sharply During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Chemical & Engineering News

May 20, 2020 | Carbon Emissions Fall 17% Worldwide Under Coronavirus Lockdowns, Study Finds | CBS News

May 20, 2020 | Will Our Climate Bounce Back as a Result of the COVID-19 Lockdown? | Laboratory News

May 19, 2020 | COVID-19 Could Permanently Transform Transportation | Opinion | Scientific American 

May 19, 2020 | Biggest Fall in Global Emissions Shows the Limits of Individual Action | Bloomberg

May 19, 2020 | Global Emissions Plunged an Unprecedented 17 Percent During the Coronavirus Pandemic | The Washington Post

May 19, 2020 | Coronavirus Has Altered the Global Warming Trajectory. But For How Long? | The San Francisco Chronicle 

May 19, 2020 | Global Emissions Dropped 'Shocking' 17% During Lockdown | E&E News | Reprinted in Scientific American

May 19, 2020 | COVID-19 Lockdown Could Drop Carbon Emissions to their Lowest Level Since World War II. But the Change may be Temporary | CNN

May 19, 2020 | Here's How Coronavirus Affected Carbon Emissions in Every State | Grist 

May 19, 2020 | COVID-19 Lockdowns Have Led to a 17% Drop in Daily CO2 Emissions | Fast Company

May 19, 2020 | Coronavirus Lockdowns Have Caused a Whopping 17% Drop in Global Carbon Emissions | USA Today

May 19, 2020 | Study: COVID-19 Shutdowns Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 17% | VOA News

May 19, 2020 | Breathe, Pause and Reset | Engineering & Technology Magazine 

May 19, 2020 | Daily Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Fell by 17 Percent at Peak of COVID-19 Confinement Measures in April | Newsweek
 

May 17, 2020 | Coal Industry Will Never Recover After Coronavirus Pandemic, Experts Say | The Guardian 

May 14, 2020 | Emissions Drop During Pandemic Creates Unexpected Challenge | The Hill

May 11, 2020 | Fact Check: The Coronavirus Pandemic Isn't Slowing Climate Change | USA Today

May 6, 2020 | Beaches Turning Turquoise and Other Incredible Ways Nature Shows Healing During COVID-19 Pandemic | Latin Post

May 1, 2020 | This Interactive Tool Shows You How the Coronavirus Pandemic Is – and Is Not – Affecting Climate Change | CNBC

May 1, 2020 | The Deceiving Thing About the Big, Historic Drop in CO2 Emissions | Mashable

May 1, 2020 | Report: Outbreak Triggers Drop in Climate-changing Emissions | Black Hills Pioneer

April 30, 2020 | Emissions Declines Will Set Records This Year. But It's Not Good News. | The New York Times

April 29, 2020 | Give $1trn for Green Recovery : Prakash Javadekar to Developed Countries | Hindustan Times

April 25, 2020 | BBC World News

April 24, 2020 | Why CO2 Isn't Falling More During a Global Lockdown | E&E News

April 24, 2020 | The Air is Clear. So is the Reality that Economic Shutdown Won't Save the Climate | The Globe and Mail

April 22, 2020 | Coronavirus Lockdowns Show the Urgency of Reining in Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Slow Climate Change | CBS News

April 22, 2020 | How Coronavirus Lockdown Has Actually Affected the Environment | VICE

April 22, 2020 | Los Angeles Air Quality Improves in Lockdown | CBS This Morning 

April 22, 2020 | Earth Day in the Bay | NBC Bay Area

April 22, 2020 | Earth Day Challenge: The Pandemic Proves We Can Change Our Habits | Santa Barbara Independent

April 22, 2020 | Earth Day: Our Planet is Detoxing as Humans Stay in Lockdown | The Economic Times 

April 22, 2020 | Air Pollution Down In Major Cities Amid Coronavirus Lockdowns | The Hill

April 22, 2020 | Commentary: Shutdown Won't Save the Planet; Here's What Can | HeraldNet 

April 22, 2020 | Carbon Emissions Dip with Coronavirus but Climate Change Isn't Going Away | Balkan Green Energy News

April 17, 2020 | Coronavirus is Reducing CO2. Why That's Worrisome | E&E News

April 15, 2020 | Emissions Fall, Air Quality Rises Amid Orders to Stay Home | RTE News

April 14, 2020 | Carbon Emissions Are Falling, But Still Not Enough, Scientists Say | National Public Radio

April 14, 2020 | CO2 Emissions Are Falling. That Doesn’t Mean Virus Will Slow Warming | Bloomberg

April 14, 2020 | Opinion: Coronavirus shutdowns can’t save the planet from climate change. Here’s what could | Los Angeles Times

April 9, 2020 | Climate crisis: in coronavirus lockdown, nature bounces back – but for how long? | The Guardian

April 8, 2020 | Report: Outbreak Triggers Drop in Climate-Changing Emissions | Associated Press / Washington Post

April 7, 2020 | Coronavirus Could Cause the First Big Emissions Drop in a Decade | Grist 

April 7, 2020 | A Fast Moving Virus, a Slow Changing Climate | The Tyee 

April 6, 2020 | COIVD-19 Could Cause the Greatest Emissions Dive the World Has Seen Since World War II | GreenMatters 

April 5, 2020 | Coronavirus Lockdowns Clear the Air, but the Green Effect Could Be Fleeting | The Wall Street Journal 

April 4, 2020 | 5% Drop in Emissions May Not Have Permanent Impact | Hindustan Times

April 3, 2020 | Coronavirus Could Trigger Biggest Fall in Global Carbon Dioxide Since Second World War, Scientists Say | Independent 

April 2, 2020 | Coronavirus Could Trigger Biggest Fall in Carbon Emissions since World War Two | Reuters / New York Times

April 2, 2020 | The Coronavirus Will Change Our Lives, but the Environment Could See Benefits | San Francisco Chronicle

March 28, 2020 | In the Coronavirus Pandemic, Carbon Emissions have Fallen, But Climate Change Remains an Existential Threat | Yahoo! News 

March 26, 2020 | Researchers Warn Coronavirus Might Deteriorate Climate Change Action and Strike Clean Energy Investment | Daily Veterans 

March 24, 2020 | Will a Coronavirus Mirage of Clean Air, Water Insptire Climate Action — or Make Things Worse? | The Philadelphia Inquirer

March 24, 2020 | As Coronavirus Forces Workplace Changes, Environment May Be Catching Its Breath | Karma 

March 22, 2020 | Air Pollution Falls as Coronavirus Slows Travel, But Scientists Warn of Longer-term Threat to Climate Change Progress | CNBC 

March 19, 2020 | Coronavirus Offers Reprieve from Air Pollution | The Hill | 

March 19, 2020 | Coronavirus shutdowns are lowering greenhouse gas emissions; history shows they’ll roar back | Los Angeles Times

March 17, 2020 | Coronavirus Could Weaken Climate Change Action and Hit Clean Energy Funding Researchers Warn | Gruntstuff 

March 14, 2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic Response Temporarily Combating CO2 Emissions, by Systemic Change Needed, Experts Urge | CBC Radio 

March 10, 2020 | Coronavirus could cause fall in global CO2 emissions | The Guardian