Pollution cuts may expose deeper climate vulnerabilities, study finds

Clean air has proved to be a double-edge sword. Besides improving health, it also accelerates global warming.

According to a study led by researchers from the University of Reading and the Centre for International Climate Research, pollution cut efforts could unleash a deeper climate crisis.

Given the severity of climate calamities, global warming has surged over the past 15 years. After studying the eight major climate models, international scientists found that the drastic warming since 2010 was associated with East Asia’s efforts to reduce pollution levels.

China in the same period also rolled out drastic air control policies to slash sulphur dioxide emissions by 75%.

Lifting the 'Cooling Sunshade'

Dr Bjørn Samset, senior researcher at the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Norway said: “Think back to a polluted or hazy day. These suspended particles act as a ‘cooling sunshade’, stopping some of the sunlight from reaching the surface of earth. With air pollution, we have been doing this on a global scale for decades, and it’s been counteracting some of the global warming from greenhouse gases.”

Somset further explained that removing air pollution also removed some of the sun-shading, and the artificial cooling we have had for a while has started to diminish.

Despite the importance of thick hazy cover, it’s not the only solution to leave the pollution. It is also important to cut back the CO2 and methane emissions.

Reversing pollution levels to slow climate change

Some scientists have suggested solutions such as putting fake pollution back into the air to combat the crisis of climate change. 

"This would involve adding particles to the stratosphere or into clouds, where they can have the same effects as air pollution, but without the negative health impacts,” Samset said.

Professor Laura Wilcox, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, negated the practicality of such solutions.

Laura explained: “Just like air pollution, they’re just masking the warming, not addressing the cause,” adding that we also lack the technology to make them possible.

“The other approach is to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere,” said Laura, adding, “This is called carbon capture, and we are already doing this, but at a very small scale.”