MAINE PUBLIC • April 1, 2020
Paul Mayewski, director of UMaine's Climate Change Institute, says that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the pause button on pollution worldwide. It's a chance to study phenomena that hearken back to the pre-industrial era and could provide a snapshot of what a post-fossil future could look like. Scientists say any reduction in the world's rate of carbon emissions attributable to the economic slowdown won't make much of a direct difference in long term global warming trends. Some say, though, it could help convince consumers that a faster transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is more doable than they thought. And in the short-term, there are likely to be marked effects on other pollutants. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration this week ratcheted back fuel economy standards, a move scientists and environmentalists say will ultimately contribute to global warming and harm human health.