Global Emissions Plunged br 17 Percent During Coronavirus br Lockdowns, Study Finds The decline is attributed to COVID-19 br stay-at-home orders around the globe. The study was published in br 'Nature Climate Change.' It found a dramatic reduction br in daily global emissions that equaled br one billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The 17 percent br decline occurred between br January and early April. While dramatic, br the drop was equal to the br output of carbon emissions in 2006. According to the study, total 2020 br global emissions could see a drop of br between four and eight percent br by the end of the year. If that were to happen, it would mark br the largest annual decrease in carbon br emissions since World War II. According to U.N. studies, br the nations of the world must reduce br carbon emission by 7.6 percent every year br in order to avoid climate change catastrophe.