Global fossil CO2 emissions have decreased by around 2.6 GtCO2 in 2020 to 34 GtCO2 ... COVID-19 pandemic, is about 7% below 2019 levels, according to the analysis of the Global Carbon Project on the basis of multiple studies and recent monthly energy data. A 2.6 GtCO2 decrease in global annual emissions has never been observed before. Yet cuts of 1–2 GtCO2 per year are needed throughout the 2020s and beyond to avoid exceeding warming levels in the range 1.5 °C to well below 2 °C, the ambition of the Paris Agreement. The drop in CO2 emissions from responses to COVID-19 highlights the scale of actions and international adherence needed to tackle climate change.
Paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01001-0
