Atmospheric scientist says US carbon dioxide emissions have dropped to unprecedented levels during pandemic

Professor Kevin Gurney of NAU’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems measures greenhouse gas emissions in major US cities. He says the consumption of three important fuels has nose-dived: gasoline, jet fuel and distillate (diesel).

“For the first three weeks of April,” said Gurney, “gasoline has declined 43.1 percent, jet fuel by 59.3 percent and diesel fuels by 16.7 percent compared to the same three weeks over the last decade. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it was an error in the data. Nothing like this has ever shown up in the record. Never.”

Gurney says vehicles driving on the road account for roughly 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions each year. “The decline in gasoline has implications for both local air quality and climate change. We never could have run an experiment in which the public stops driving. The COVID-19 virus has forced this, and it gives us a glimpse of what not driving does to our air.”

Gurney said that early data from both satellite and ground monitors are showing decreased local air pollution in a number of locations across the US, consistent with the decline in fuel consumption.

Based on data gathered since mid-March, Gurney has projected longer-term levels of climate change gases in the atmosphere should transportation fuel demands remain low.

“If one were to assume that gasoline, jet fuel and distillates persisted at current levels until the end of June, this would result in an annual decline of 5 percent in CO2 emissions from total energy for 2020. If the current levels persisted for 12 months, or until the end of February 2021, this would result in an annual decline of CO2 emissions of roughly 15 percent.”

As a point of reference, Gurney compares petroleum fuel use impacts of the coronavirus pandemic with the global financial crisis of 2008, when carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 3 percent that year.

“This far exceeds that event in terms of fuel consumption data we can see, but we’ve only had a few weeks to measure the results. We don’t know how this is going to show up over the long haul. Once the pandemic is over, we may go right back to our normal levels of greenhouse gas emissions. However, there may be positive outcomes for climate in the midst of this devastating social and economic event. For example, business owners may see opportunities to continue tele-commuting with a portion of the workforce and thereby increase productivity and lower costs. This could lessen road traffic and increase the efficiency of commercial space.”

Gurney continues to archive numerous CO2 emission datasets as part of his Vulcan and Hestia projects, which map emissions at fine scales across the US landscape. “From a climate change point-of-view, there may be some valuable insights on energy consumption that we can use as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis,” Gurney said.

 

About Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a higher-research institution providing exceptional educational opportunities in Arizona and beyond. NAU delivers a student-centered experience to its 31,000 in Flagstaff, statewide and online through rigorous academic programs in a supportive, inclusive and diverse environment. Dedicated, world-renowned faculty help ensure students achieve academic excellence, experience personal growth, have meaningful research opportunities and are positioned for personal and professional success. 

Note to reporters: High-resolution images available upon request.

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