In Luxembourg, two thirds of harmful emissions stem from transport. Road traffic has reduced dramatically over the past two weeks, which also has its effects on air quality and fuel sales.
Diesel and petrol sales have reduced by more than half - 70% to be exact, according to Minister of the Environment Carole Dieschbourg. Air quality has also improved significantly as a result, as can be seen on the air quality application 'Meng Loft'. The app measures several values, such as the presence of ozone, fine dust particles and nitrogen oxide, all of which have gone down.
The space agency ESA's director of earth-observation Josef Aschbacher has asserted a similar occurrence, which can be seen on worldwide satellite images. In Wuhan, for instance, emissions decreased by 40% but have in the meantime gone back up to where they were before the crisis. Accordingly, the quarantine measures in place across the globe have no lasting effect on the environment.
Aschbacher points out that global warming is a result of 100 years of civilisation and industrial activity and that the CO2 content has increased considerably since the beginning of the industrial revolution, notably from 290 bpm to more than 400 bpm. Two or three months of reduced global activity will, therefore, not make a lasting difference. The scenario is comparable to one in which a person gives up smoking for a few weeks, only to then start again, according to our Ministry of the Environment.
However, the crisis can also be used to build on teleworking. Dieschbourg says that, once economic activity will be resumed, one can use the opportunity to develop a more sustainable economy in which fewer emissions are produced.
