Sol, along with a team of other environmental scientists + economists, authored a Nature Perspectives commentary on how lockdowns implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the planet, and shed additional light on how anthropogenic factors contribute to changes in the Earth system.
On the plus side, during the first six months of the pandemic, the world saw a significant reduction in human mobility due to shelter-in-place restrictions. This led to a notable drop in CO2 emissions, improvement in air quality and decrease in electricity usage.
However, non-pharmaceutical interventions mandated by virtually all national governments also led to socioeconomic disruptions, resulting in long-term effects which may not be apparent on a societal or Earth systems level until further into the future.
