The pandemic has affected the activities of scientific institutions and government agencies worldwide, leading to a reduced productivity in some programs and gaps in long-term climate data. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was among the first organization to express concerns about our planet’s observation system. Due to the disruption in scientific work and the cancellation of conferences caused by the pandemic, the extension to the literature cut-off date has been implemented and the Lead Author meetings of reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been postponed. It is now essential to focus on leveraging scientific support and knowledge-sharing for a sustainable recovery.
Lockdown and related measures implemented by countries to limit the spread of COVID-19 have led to a decrease in economic activities and a drop in road transport, temporarily cleaning skies and decreasing levels of certain air pollutants. However, carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries. The scientific community reminds us continuously that the world needs to be committed to continued efforts in climate change regardless of any temporary decrease in emissions due to the pandemic. Researchers have also found that air pollution might have intensified the pandemic.
Speakers
- Oksana Tarasova, Chief, Atmospheric Environment Research Division, WMO
- Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Working Group I Co-Chair, IPCC
- Hans-Otto Pörtner, Working Group II Co-Chair, IPCC
- Jim Skea, Working Group III Co-Chair, IPCC
- Sara Venturini, Climate Coordinator, GEO Secretariat
Facilitators: GEN Team
Registration: Webex Live
Video: Facebook Live
Event details: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/geneva-environment-dialo...
More information about this event is available here.
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