NPR

Pandemic Causes Historic — But Fleeting— Drop In U.S. Climate Emissions

As Americans stayed home during the pandemic, cars and planes produced less heat-trapping emissions. But the effect is only temporary.
Aircraft largely stayed on the ground in spring 2020, leading to a drop in greenhouse gas emissions.

As commuters stayed home in 2020 and airplanes remained on the ground, the nationwide slowdown led to a sizable drop in heat-trapping emissions. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell by 10 percent, the largest annual drop since World War II, according to a report by the.

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