A REVIEW OF ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES AMIDST COVID19 PANDEMIC IN THE LIGHT OF IPCC SPECIAL REPORT 2018 AND COP24 CONFERENCE

Earth has an inbuilt mechanism of keeping balance among its structural and functional components. Extreme anthropogenic activities like overexploitation of natural resources and rapid industrialisation are interfering with the regulatory functions of the ecosystem. Increase in concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere mainly due to human activities has led to increase in global temperature after industrial revolution. Carbon dioxide is a major driver of global warming. Recognising the underlying threats of global warming on humanity as well as Earth’s biodiversity, Paris Agreement mandated the participating countries to limit the global carbon emission so as to not let increase the global temperature above 2°C in near future with respect to pre-industrial levels and also to keep pursuing efforts to attain the 1.5°C. In this regard, IPCC presented a special report on the assessment of the impacts of rise in temperature up to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels on the environment and the world in 2018 which revealed many horrifying facts associated with global warming in near future. In this report, IPCC also provided recommendations to mitigate this problem. Moreover, this report formed the background of COP24 which was held in order to assure the full implementation of Paris Agreement by the participating countries. COVID19 pandemic associated restrictions imposed by different counties all around the globe has shown some positive changes in the environment with respect to carbon emission and atmospheric concentrations of other pollutants. In this review article, authors have made an attempt to assess the impacts of this lockdown on the atmosphere in light of the recent IPCC report and outcomes of COP24. Coupling solutions of social and economic issues together with environmental issues during the process of development has been suggested as a sustainable way to achieve holistic national growth in a greener way.