As the novel coronavirus spread, China’s economic activity declined sharply and CO² emissions plunged. Based on a Sankei Shimbun report citing an analysis by the British site Carbon Brief, this article reexamines the abnormal situation inside China that had already been indicated by PM2.5 pollution maps.

February 25, 2020
CO² emissions during the two weeks after the Lunar New Year fell by about 100 million tons compared with the period after last year’s Lunar New Year.
This is said to be equivalent to 6 percent of global emissions during the same period last year.
The following is from an article in today’s Sankei Shimbun.
A friend said that this proves that what I had pointed out through the PM2.5 pollution map was effective, and that it has been conveyed to the world clearly and sharply.
China’s CO² Emissions Plunge
British Report
Air Pollution Also Improves
[Beijing = Kyodo] A British information website had, by the 23rd, posted a report analyzing that, in China, economic activity has slowed amid the spread of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, and emissions of carbon dioxide, CO², have sharply decreased.
It also says that, because the use of fossil fuels has declined, some improvement has been seen in air pollution as well.
In China, due to the effects of the novel pneumonia, the resumption of industrial production and construction activity has been delayed, and demand for oil, coal, steel, and other materials has fallen.
According to an expert report published on the 19th on Carbon Brief, a British website that deals with climate change and energy policy, CO² emissions during the two weeks after the Lunar New Year holiday, from January 24 to February 2, fell by about 100 million tons compared with the period after last year’s Lunar New Year.
This is said to be equivalent to 6 percent of global emissions during the same period last year.
The report also states that, after the Lunar New Year holiday, the average concentration across China of nitrogen dioxide, a cause of air pollution, fell by 36 percent compared with last year.
The report pointed out that, if the Chinese government launches economic measures dependent on investment in order to make up for declines in consumption and exports, “as a result, overall emissions may increase.”