A panel of some 70 scientists have published a report confirming what most of us knew intuitively: Reducing the amount of “black stuff in the air”—soot and smog— could save lives, support crop production, and slow the progress of global warming.
The researchers, led by New York City-based Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) climatologist Drew Shindell, have reviewed the science and concluded that reducing emissions of two common air pollutants — black carbon (soot) and gases integral to the production of ground-level ozone could slow the rate of climate change by nearly one degree Fahrenheit over the next half-century.
"We've shown that implementing specific practical emissions reductions chosen to maximize climate benefits also would have important “win-win'” benefits for human health and agriculture," said Shindell. The study was published this month in the journal Science.
Which is not to say that reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is not vitally important: “Over the long-term, carbon dioxide increases are the primary driver of climate change,” said Shindell, adding, “In order to mitigate climate change, there is no way we can ignore or overlook carbon dioxide. But we could make a major dent in climate change in the near term by controlling black carbon and ozone.”
Black carbon, or soot, is a type of dark particulate matter produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, and other biofuels. It is linked to a number of health problems, and it also warms the atmosphere by intercepting sunlight. Black carbon, along with other particles, can come from motor vehicles, residential stoves, forest fires, and certain industrial processes. If you live in or near a city during the winter, it’s the grimy stuff you see on what previously had been pristine white snow just 24 hours after it hits the streets.
Ozone is a reactive gas that exists high in the stratosphere, as well as much nearer to and at the surface in the troposphere. Reactions between sunlight and certain precursor gases — especially methane, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide — produce ozone, which is a significant component of smog and a greenhouse gas.
Previous studies have noted the benefits of reducing methane and soot. But the new study looked at the specific effect of about 400 actions policymakers could take. Of those, just 14 interventions — such as eliminating wood-burning stoves, dampening emissions from diesel vehicles and capturing methane released from coal mines — would offer big and relatively low-cost benefits.
While all regions of the world would benefit, countries in Asia and the Middle East would see the biggest health and agricultural gains from emissions reductions.
In the Arctic a decrease in smog and soot also would have major consequences. “A lot of pollution makes its way to the Arctic from the Northern Hemisphere,” explained Shindell. “Black carbon not only warms the atmosphere, but it also darkens the surface of snow and ice, which causes them to melt faster than they would otherwise. We found that these … control measures could mitigate about two-thirds of the warming we'll likely otherwise see in the Arctic over the next half-century.”
For black carbon, the strategies analyzed include:
- Installing filters in diesel vehicles
- Keeping high-emitting vehicles off the road
- Upgrading cooking stoves and boilers to cleaner burning types
- Installing more efficient kilns for brick production
- Upgrading coke ovens
- Banning agriculture burning
Many of the measures would be inexpensive, Shindell said. For instance, farmers in the developing world often burn agricultural waste, but plowing it under instead would cost almost nothing.
The scientists used computer models developed at GISS and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, to model the impact of emissions reductions. The models showed widespread benefits from the methane reduction because it is evenly distributed throughout the atmosphere. Black carbon falls out of the atmosphere after a few days—so the benefits are stronger in certain regions, especially ones with large amounts of snow and ice."Protecting public health and food supplies may take precedence over avoiding climate change in most countries, but knowing that these measures also mitigate climate change may help motivate policies to put them into practice," Shindell said. The new study builds on a United Nations Environment Program/World Meteorological Organization report, also led by Shindell, published last year."The scientific case for fast action on these so-called 'short-lived climate forcers' has been steadily built over more than a decade, and this study provides further focused and compelling analysis of the likely benefits at the national and regional level," said United Nations Environment Program Executive Director Achim Steiner.
Speaking to the Washington Post, several policy experts said that, in the absence of a global treaty to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the new study should spur national governments to smaller actions. “This great news could not come at a better time for climate protection,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the D.C.-based Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.
But even advocates of the strategy warned that world leaders have not yet shown the political will to move ahead.
Brooks Yeager, executive vice president for Policy for the advocacy group, Clean Air-Cool Planet, said “The bad news is it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
Yeager and Shindell said that reducing methane and soot, while laudable as a short-term strategy for dampening global warming, would not solve the long-term problem. “I think it’s a little dangerous to think you can do this instead of reducing carbon dioxide,” Yaeger said. “If you don’t reduce carbon dioxide, the benefits of reducing these [pollutants] will recede into the background and be overwhelmed by carbon.”
To see interactive and embeddable country-by-country graphs and maps of the impact of emissions reductions, visit the project website.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.
Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO. Follow us on Twitter.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by
Juliana Kenny
