Wildfires and thick smoke in eastern North America are not just a symptom of the worsening climate catastrophe, they also amplify ongoing warming, says this Duke University climate science professor.
left many people glued to air quality indices and wondering whether it was safe to go outside.
There is growing evidence that even low levels of air pollutants damage the human body, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses like asthma and emphysema, heart disease and lung cancer. Black carbon - the tiny particles in the air from wildfires and also from vehicles - along with methane, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone, are known as short-lived climate pollutants. They account for around half of today’s global warming, contributing to rising sea levels and more frequent and extreme climatic events, including the devastating wildfires we’re increasingly seeing across the world.
The rapid climate benefits of reducing short-lived climate pollutants thus also complement the slower but crucial climate benefits of decarbonisation, providing much needed near-term relief from the onslaught of accelerating climate change we see around us.These short-lived climate pollutants are tens to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet.
In short, cutting short-lived climate pollutants now alongside decarbonising economies is the best shot to meet the world’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius - and avoid the most dangerous impact of climate change.The good news is that scientists know exactly how to do it. Hydrofluorocarbons, often used in refrigerators and air conditioning units, can be replaced with alternatives that have low or zero global warming potential.
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