How Do We Sustain Historic Emissions Reductions Once the Lockdowns Lift?

It used to be difficult to conceptualize what kind of global commitment was necessary to achieve these emissions reductions. But in the age of COVID-19, the scale of this commitment has become clear. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 2020 emissions are expected to fall by eight percent compared to 2019.

In other words, it took a worldwide economic lockdown to achieve the scale of emissions reductions that the U.N. says are needed for the next decade. However, as noted by foreign policy academic Walter Russell Mead in a recent Wall Street Journal column, “most of the measures that led to the drop in emissions aren’t economically sustainable.”

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