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[[File:Spain_Evolution-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-category_2018-2020_statisticalgraph_18612_eng.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution in greenhouse gas emissions by category. 2018-2020. Spain.]]
[[File:Spain_Evolution-in-CO2--equivalent-emissions-related-to-electricity-production_2018-2020_statisticalgraph_18605_eng.jpg|lrightright|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution in CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent emissions related to electricity production. 2018-2020. Spain.]]
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One of the effects of the restrictions on mobility and on economic activity during spring 2020 was the temporary reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions recorded worldwide. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (2021) estimated gross emissions of 271.5 million tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent (CO<sub>2</sub>-eq) for 2020 in the ''Progress of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory'' (''Avance del Inventario de Emisiones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero''), an overall 13.7% drop compared to 2019. Furthermore, total emissions were 6.4% lower than in 1990 and 38.6% lower than in 2005. This was the first time in the series (1990-2020) that emissions dipped below the figure for 1990. The graph on the ''[[:File:Evolution Spain_Evolution-in -greenhouse -gas -emissions -by sector-sector_2000-2020_statisticalgraph_18610_eng.jpg|Evolution in greenhouse gas emissions by sector]]'' shows the steady decline in emissions from 2000 to 2020 in several sectors, with three distinct turning points in 2008, 2013 and 2020, simultaneous to three economic downturns. Absorptions from the land-use sector, forestry and changes of use were estimated at 36.6 million tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub>-eq (13.5% of the total gross emissions in the Inventory for 2020) and must be deducted from the gross amount. Therefore, net emissions in 2020 were estimated at 234.9 million tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub>-eq, i.e. a drop of 15.2% compared to 2019.
[[File:Logo MonografíaSpain_Monthly-variation-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18611_eng.jpg||left|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Monthly variation in greenhouse gas emissions. 2019-2020. Spain.]]The graph on the ''[[:File:Monthly Spain_Monthly-variation -in -greenhouse -gas emissions-emissions_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18611_eng.jpg|Monthly variation in greenhouse gas emissions]]'' using data from the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) shows a drop in all months of the year for the 2019-2020 period. This drop was primarily due to the lessened activity of coal-fired power stations during the first few months. However, the most significant emission reductions were registered in the months when the most stringent lockdown was in force [April (-31%) and May (-22%)]. From the end of lockdown, in June, to September, the drop in emissions was less significant. On the graph depicting the evolution of emissions (2018-2020) by category (energy sources), the sharpest drop may be observed in petroleum and electricity, the latter having steadily reduced since 2018. The drop in emissions from electricity use may also be observed on the specific graph for this source. Emissions from coal use have been steadily decreasing since 2018, whilst emissions related to gas have hardly changed.
The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions registered in 2020 shall be regarded as an exception; it had a transient and minor impact on the overall levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and, therefore, on global climate. Given that what really matters from a global perspective is the cumulative effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the impact of a temporary reduction, such as the one registered during lockdown, is negligible. In fact, a detailed analysis of historical emission trends shows that emissions would have reduced even without COVID-19. Specifically, the study carried out by the Spanish Observatory of the Energy Transition and Climate Action (OTEA, 2020) found that whilst 71% of the reduction registered in 2020 may be attributed to the pandemic, the remaining 29% would have been achieved by simply keeping the decreasing trend recorded in recent years.
{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Air quality in Europe}}
[[File:Logo MonografíaAthens_Evolution-of-NO2-air-pollution-in-Athens_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18606_eng.jpg||left|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution of NO<sub>2</sub> air pollution in Athens. 2019-2020. Athens.]][[File:Logo MonografíaBerlin_Evolution-of-NO2-air-pollution-in-Berlin_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18596_eng.jpg||right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution of NO<sub>2</sub> air pollution in Berlin. 2019-2020. Berlin.]]
Lockdown and restrictions on mobility slowed down economic activity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a significant drop in road transport, as outlined in other chapters. To analyse the effects of this slowdown on air pollution, the European Environment Agency (EEA) monitored the average weekly and monthly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) and fine particles (PM 10 and PM 2.5), measured every hour or every day by nearly 3,000 gauging stations (EEA, 2020 and 2021). Exposure to air pollution may have adverse effects on health, and in particular people with respiratory diseases could be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Although the epidemiological research carried out to date is as yet inconclusive, all signs suggest that such exposure worsens the condition of people infected with coronavirus. What has been concluded is that a higher air quality prevented 2,190 early deaths in Europe ascribable to fine particles (PM 2.5) from 21 February to 17 May 2020 (Giani ''et al.,'' 2020).
