GLOBAL GOOD NEWS

LOCKDOWN POLLUTION

AIR POLLUTION levels around the world decreased during the early lockdowns of 2020 but not as much as expected, according to a study led by scientists from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

The study measured levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and fine particle concentrations in 11 cities last year including Beijing, Wuhan, Milan, Rome, Madrid, London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles and Delhi. The results were published in Science Advances in January.

The researchers found that, after adjusting for weather effects, the reduction in nitrogen dioxide was less than they had expected, while lockdowns caused concentrations of ozone to increase.

Fine particle concentrations decreased in all the cities except London and Paris.

Zongbo Shi, professor of atmospheric biogeochemistry at the university and lead author of the study, said: “Emission changes associated with the early lockdown restrictions led to abrupt changes in air pollutant levels but their impacts on air quality were more complex that we thought and smaller than we expected.

“Weather changes can mask changes in emissions on air quality. Importantly, our study has provided a new framework for assessing air pollution interventions by separating the effects of weather and season from the effects of emission changes,” he said.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

THE DISCOVERY of a hot, rocky “super Earth” near one of the oldest stars in the galaxy has surprised an American team of planethunting scientists, according to The Good News Network.

Team leader, and University of Hawaii postdoctoral fellow Lauren Weiss, said: “TOI561b is one of the oldest rocky planets yet discovered. Its existence shows the universe has been forming rocky planets almost since its inception 14 billion years ago.”

The planet is about 50% larger than Earth but needs less than half a day to orbit its star.

“For every day you’re on Earth, this planet orbits its star twice,” said Stephen Kane, a planetary astrophysicist and team member from the University of California, Riverside.

Part of the reason for the short orbit is the planet’s proximity to its star, which also creates incredible heat. Its estimated average surface temperature is over 1 726°C – much too hot to support life as we know it today.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

THE WORLD is not on track to meet its climate change targets, reports the BBC’s chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt, but he believes 2021 will be a turning point for tackling climate change.

This is why:

 Global leaders will meet in November in Glasgow for the follow-up to the Paris Climate Accord of 2015 and it is likely that carbon targets will be tightened.

 Countries are already committing themselves to steeper carbon cuts. In September, China’s president Xi Jinping told the UN General Assembly that China aimed to be carbon neutral by 2060. That country is currently responsible for 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

 Renewables now offer the cheapest source of energy.

In October, the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organisation, said the best solar power schemes offered “the cheapest source of electricity in history”.

Rowlatt says Covid has changed everything. It has shaken our sense of invulnerability and governments have stepped forward with stimulus packages to reboot their economies. With historically low interest rates everywhere, it has rarely been cheaper to be able to do this.

And there is increasing public pressure on business to choose green solutions. Rowlatt says this makes business sense. Why would companies want to carry carbon risk in their portfolios?