‘It will give us surprises’

[Pelican Press 0]

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‘It will give us surprises’

In the global battle against harmful air pollution, China is both a leader in production and reduction.

According to the 2023 Global Carbon Budget, shared by

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, the country was responsible for annual carbon dioxide pollution of over nine billion tons from coal in 2022. The next highest polluter, India, was responsible for two billion.

However, government controls on ****** fuel industries have resulted in a 70% reduction in aerosol emissions over the last 10 years, as

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detailed.

It’s a slightly confusing state of affairs. What’s more confusing, though, is how that aerosol reduction has impacted ocean warming.

What’s happening?

According to analysis published by PNAS and shared by Yale Environment 360, improvements made in reducing air pollution by China have led to warming effects in the Pacific Ocean.

The decline in smog particles has offered less shading protection from the sun’s rays, which has increased the rate of ocean warming and set off a chain reaction of atmospheric events.

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As Yale Environment 360 detailed, aerosols can deter around a third of the warming that’s caused by greenhouse gases — which are different from aerosols as they trap heat rather than shade it.

Why is ocean warming concerning?

Since 2013, the Pacific Ocean has been witnessing a warming event known as “The Blob,” which periodically increases water temperatures between California and Alaska by as much as seven degrees Fahrenheit.

This has led to

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, reductions of fish stocks, sea lion displacement, and the forcing of whales into shipping lanes in the hunt for food, among other issues, according to

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.

The analysis suggests that the aerosol reduction in China is at least partly responsible for “The Blob.” Despite these negative effects, cutting the production of aerosol is still an important factor in curbing overall air pollution.

“Aerosol reductions will perturb the climate system in ways we have not experienced before,” atmospheric scientist at Texas A&M University Yangyang Xu, who was not involved in the study, told Yale Environment 360. “It will give us surprises.”

What can be done about rising ocean temperatures?

As Fred Pearce of

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noted: “To be clear, nobody — but nobody — suggests that we should stop the cleanup of aerosols. The ****** toll would just be too great.”

The

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says that outdoor air pollution was responsible for 4.2 million ********** deaths worldwide in 2019, and aerosols are a key contributor to that statistic.

With that in mind, Michael Diamond from Florida State University, an expert on aerosols and climate,

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that reducing methane immediately would mitigate against the warming created in the absence of aerosols.

According to

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, around 60% of the world’s methane pollution is caused by human activities. Agriculture, landfills, and burning ****** energy are among the leading producers of this harmful gas, which is

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in terms of planet-warming potential than carbon dioxide.

So, cutting our

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, keeping as many items from

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as possible, and ramping up the production of electricity from

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are essential to keep methane levels down. If we can do that, we can offset the unusual heating effects that cleaning up aerosols is having on our oceans without compromising human health.

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#give #surprises

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