Coal and COVID-19: How the pandemic is accelerating the end of fossil power generation
Newswise COVID-19 has not only caused a temporary drop in global CO2 emissions, it has also reduced the share of power generated by burning coal - a trend that could in fact outlast the pandemic. This is the key result of a new study by a team of economists based in Potsdam and Berlin that looked at COVID-19 s impact on the energy system and demand for electricity. Their findings show that the pandemic, while putting a terrible toll on people s lives and the economy, has also opened a window of opportunity to make this current trend of decreasing coal use irreversible: Supported by the right climate policy measures, power sector emissions could decline more rapidly than previously thought.