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After a lull in 2020, CO2 emissions returned to a level almost similar to the figures for 2019, before the health crisis linked to Covid-19. All in a context of COP26.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the world economy was at a standstill in 2020. A short respite: the situation is starting up again, traffic jams are back and factories are operating at full speed. After a historic 5.4% drop in CO2 emissions in 2020, they should start to rise again. The increase could reach nearly 4.9% by the end of the year. A rebound that would bring them closer to the level reached before the pandemic. “This reflects the very strong link between the economy and the use of fossil fuels, which produce CO2 emissions”, explains Philippe Bousquet, professor of environmental physics.
Among the fossil fuels particularly implicated, coal, whose carbon emissions are expected to exceed their 2019 levels. China, its main user, does not intend to do without it in the short term. A serious obstacle in the fight against climate change. “We expect from the COP26 a strong and quantitative commitment to reduce the use of coal in the coming years”, says Philippe Ciais, co-author of a study on the subject. Thursday, November 4, forty countries have committed to do without coal to produce electricity between 2030 and 2040. An insufficient rate according to some specialists.