April 19, 2024

Grothe Pens FLS Letter to the Editor

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe recently penned a letter to The Free Lance-Star entitled, “Smarter choices will lead to net-zero emissions.”

 

As a professor for UMW’s COVID-19 in Context course, I spoke to students and community members on how the worldwide shutdown of economies has affected climate change.

The students asked an astute question: Will reduced emissions during the pandemic help climate change?

Scientists estimated that global emissions during the peak confinement period in early April dropped to 2006 levels. On average, countries with large economies reduced their emissions by 25 pecent at the peak of their confinement periods. Estimates for 2020 annual emission reductions range from 4-to-8 percent, the largest drop ever to be recorded. Read more.