Covid-19 has not only led to a temporary drop in globalCO2 emissions, but has also reduced the share of coal-fired power generation - a trend that could even outlast the pandemic. This is the key finding of a new study by a team of economists from Potsdam and Berlin, which examined the impact of Covid-19 on the energy system and electricity demand.
The study shows: The pandemic, which has been devastating for people and the economy, has created a particularly favorable opportunity to make the current trend towards a decline in coal use irreversible. Supported by the right climate policy measures, emissions from the electricity sector could fall faster than previously assumed.
Researchers estimate that emissions are unlikely to reach their all-time high of 2018. While the power sector was already undergoing a dynamic transformation process before the emergence of Covid-19, the pandemic has weakened the market position of coal-fired power generation and highlighted its vulnerability.
