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Drop in emissions due to pandemic won't fix climate, WMO says

(Reuters, 22 Apr 2020) U.N. agency warns this year's expected fall could be followed by even higher emissions growth than before the crisis as economies rebound.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to cause the biggest fall in carbon dioxide emissions since World War Two but it will likely be short-lived and will not stop climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday.

The WMO expects a 6% drop in carbon emissions this year, an estimate on the high end of a range given by scientists, but the U.N. agency warned that it could be followed by even higher emissions growth than before the crisis.

"This drop of emissions by 6%, that's unfortunately short-term good news," WMO's Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in response to a Reuters question at a virtual briefing in Geneva.

"In the most likely case we will easily go back to normal next year and there might even be a boost in emissions because some industries have been stopped."

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Reuters, 22 Apr 2020: Drop in emissions due to pandemic won't fix climate, WMO says