Absent any sort of end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic or even the hint of an exit strategy from U.S. leaders , aside from a willingness to sacrifice lives on the altar of capitalism a lot of people are, understandably, looking for a silver lining.

Searching for something, anything, to feel optimistic about, some have landed on environmental gains. They point to cleaner air, clearer water, the reappearance of wild animals in urban settings and projected emissions reductions as evidence that we humans can benefit nature if we just try. See, these thought leaders tell us , individual actions do matter!

We have seen temporary environmental benefits from the current lockdown. Emissions are projected to fall by between roughly 5% and 8% this year. But they are just that: temporary.

Carbon dioxide emissions reductions are a result of global lockdowns not the result of considered environmental policies and as such they have required huge, unsustainable levels of sacrifice.

And even these gains still deliver nowhere near the level of reductions climate scientists say we need to reach net zero CO2 emissions in less than 15 years and to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

The fall in emissions well see in 2020 will be a blip compared to the carbon dioxide we have emitted since the start of the Industrial Revolution, 100 years worth of runaway emissions that have locked us into a certain amount of climate change.

To reach net zero by 2030 or even 2050, the deadline preferred by most oil companies wed need to see the high end of this years projected emissions reductions every single year.