[352] The economic slowdown and the closure of factories related to the coronavirus pandemic brought a 6% decrease in emissions in February and March 2020.
[353] BlackRock global money management firm Chief Executive Larry Fink said in January 2020 that climate change "has become a defining factor in companies' long-term prospects... and I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance.
Governments rush to find funding to combat the virus, provide medical supplies and services, and to mitigate the economic slowdown.
The epicenter of the pandemic shifted from East Asia at the beginning of the year to Europe in March and April, then to the United States and Latin America in May and June.
[356] Hundreds of thousands of people protest in the United States[357] and around the world[358] against the May 26 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.