Covid's Carbon Footprint is non-existent compared to man made disasters like Iraq War's
Until investigations are completed on origins of Covid and all the facts come out, please hold off on any controversial theories (even if it is true that covid drastically reduced fossil fuel consumption globally and technically did slow down "climate change" briefly).
Disaster origin pending confirmation
(Not confirmed as 'Act of G-d' as of Nov 2021)
Global Carbon Project: Coronavirus causes ‘record fall’ in fossil-fuel emissions in 2020
Multiple Authors
Emissions Global Carbon Project: Coronavirus causes ‘record fall’ in fossil-fuel emissions in 2020
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel and industry are expected to drop by 7% in 2020, new analysis shows, as economies around the world feel the effects of Covid-19 lockdowns.
The latest estimates from the Global Carbon Project (GCP) suggest that these emissions will clock in at 34bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) this year – a fall of 2.4GtCO2 compared to 2019.
This annual decline is the largest absolute drop in emissions ever recorded, the researchers say, and the largest relative fall since the second world war.
Fossil CO2 emissions have fallen in all the world’s biggest emitters, the study estimates – including by 12% in the US, 11% in the EU, 9% in India and 1.7% in China.
Combined with the impacts of land-use change, human-caused CO2 emissions this year will total 40GtCO2, the estimates suggest. This will see atmospheric CO2 levels increase to an annual average of 412 parts per million – 48% higher than before the Industrial Revolution.
While a drop in emissions in a single year will not slow the pace of global warming, the researchers say, there is a “unique opportunity” to secure long-term emissions cuts by following an economic recovery “aligned with tackling climate change”.
What is the impact of Covid on 2020’s CO2 emissions?
The provisional estimate of CO2 emissions in 2020 is the GCP’s 15th in an annual series of “global carbon budgets” produced by an international group of scientists. This year’s study, published in Earth System Science Data, uses four different methods to assess regional and global emissions across the world.
The findings highlight the scale of the impact that Covid-19 has had on the world’s economies.
The peak of the decrease in emissions this year occurred in the first half of April, the researchers say in a briefing document. This was when lockdown measures in response to Covid-19 were at their most comprehensive – particularly in Europe and the US, they note:“At that point, daily global fossil CO2 emissions were around 17% below their average 2019 levels.”For the year as a whole, the researchers estimate that CO2 from fossil fuels and industry (FF&I) – which includes emissions from burning fossil fuels, manufacturing cement and other industrial processes – will decline by 2.4GtCO2 compared to 2019. This has “never been seen before”, the researchers say, and is equivalent to a drop of 7% in global emissions.
Dr Glen Peters, research director at the Centre for International Climate Research (CICERO) in Norway, told a press briefing:“You’d have to go back to 1945 – the second world war – to see a relative drop bigger than this 7%.”This year has also seen the first clear fall in global emissions since a 1.3% drop in 2009 – visible in the chart below – which was driven by the global financial crisis that started in 2008.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-c...ssions-in-2020
Iraq war - confirmed man made disaster
The Shocking, Unspoken Truth About The Iraq War’s Carbon Footprint
January 17, 2020
By Josh Montgomery
The Iraq War devastated so many lives. Its wreaked havoc on individuals stateside and not directly involved with the fighting. Its effects continue to reverberate across the globe.
War and conflict carry unimaginable costs that defy putting figures to the human ravages and sufferings. But there are unfathomable consequences…
The environment and climate change.
Military actions have a price, and the toll that they take will shock you.
Defining Carbon Footprint
Since it’s difficult to divorce ourselves from the unconscionable effects on people, we’ll confine this discussion by the measure of the environmental impacts alone.
Carbon footprint quantifies the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released, either directly or indirectly, by one’s actions.
For example, your commute to work is a direct effect of the fossil fuels that power your vehicle. The lunch you eat includes the indirect effects of farming, food production, and transportation.
But, what about the Iraq War?
The Military and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
It’s essential to understand that calculating the costs of a specific conflict is an estimate at best.
Security reasons prevent full disclosure. Even figuring out your household’s carbon footprint only puts you in the ballpark. However, we have reliable data from which we can arrive at a range. The United States government, after all, is accountable to its citizens.
A report by the Watson Institute at Brown University estimates the greenhouse gas emissions cost since the onset of the global war on terror in 2001 at 1.2 billion metric tons.
That is the equivalent of 257 million vehicles or twice as many as exist today.
That estimate is compelling, given that transportation is the largest contributor to anthropogenic climate change.
Of the 1.2 billion metric tons, about one third or 400 million is directly related to military activity. The largest source of this figure was jet fuel, which consumed over 184 billion gallons between FY 1975 and FY 2018.
Of all the branches of the military, the US Air Force is the largest user of fuel, spending nearly $5 billion in 2017 alone. To put that in perspective, a single B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber can carry 167,000 pounds or 25,000 gallons.
The United States has 20 active jets.
Bombers are a major part of the military’s defense in this conflict. That begs the question, what has the Iraq War cost the environment?
The Environmental Impacts of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Early assessments from a report released in March 2008 estimate the emissions of the Iraq War at 100 million metric tons since its beginning in 2003. Military action, and thus, greenhouse gas emissions soared during this time.
However, these numbers are conservative. The total carbon footprint includes many more sources than just vehicle emissions, both direct and indirect, such as:
- Transport of troops and supplies to the conflict zone
- Delivery of fuel
- Impact of explosives and munitions
- Triage and medical care of wounded military personnel during and after the war
One estimate puts the cost of fuel transport emissions at the equivalent of assessment of its use, thereby, doubling the impact.
Bombers not only release greenhouse gas emissions. They also give off heat, which can have profound effects on the atmosphere. They also contribute particulate matter and water vapor, all of which can affect air quality.
While aviation is a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of the Iraq War, it’s not the only one. Discharge of firearms for getting it done easily also releases greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane and carbon dioxide.
That’s not even speaking to the munitions and consequences of their use, including explosions and fires. The types of materials burned also affects emissions, whether it’s tires, wood structures, or toxic chemicals.
We can put a figure on some impacts of the war. However, the true carbon footprint remains elusive and is probably significantly higher than the data from fuel emissions tells us.
But the conflict has its price…
The financial costs of the Iraq War are just as astounding at over $6 trillion over the long-term. This figure quantifies some of the indirect costs of the Iraq War that will probably continue for decades.
Ongoing Costs of the Iraq War
The bulk of the carbon footprint of the conflict comes from the invasion in 2003 through the troop withdrawal in 2011. Military spending is only 10 percent of what it was in 2008 at $150 billion a year in 2019. Violence in the region has declined too.
However, there is still a US presence that continues to have a significant carbon footprint. The US Department of Defense (DoD) is the highest global user of fossil fuels in the federal government and, therefore, the largest contributor to climate change.
As long as the United States remains in Iraq, it will continue to have a major carbon footprint with far-reaching effects.
Projections for the Future
It’s worth noting that there are positive signs on the horizon. There has been a steady decline in the DoD’s total greenhouse gas emissions over the last 10 years. Since 2004, they decreased by over 30 percent to 59 million metric tons in 2017.
The military has also embraced the use of renewable energy sources where feasible. The overall contribution of the United States has also followed a similar path.
https://blueandgreentomorrow.com/new...bon-footprint/
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Originally Posted by enhanced_deficit
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