In the battle against global warming, scientists say they some of the
world’s largest emitters should adjust their focus from reducing
emissions of carbon dioxide, to curbing the emissions of soot and
methane.
NASA scientists, in a study published in Science, say that while
carbon dioxide from fossil fuels like coal and oil remain a larger
overall cause of global warming, reducing methane and soot may offer
short-term solutions that could slow down the impacts of global warming.
The research, led by Drew Shindell of NASA’s Goddard Institute for
Space Studies, finds that focusing on black carbon and methane measures
could slow global mean warming 1 degree Fahrenheit by 2050, preventing
between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths each year.
While all regions of the world would benefit, countries in Asia and
the Middle East would see the biggest health and agricultural gains from
the emissions controls, said NASA officials.
The study, which was conducted under NASA, included an international
team, which considered about 400 control measures. The new study focused
on 14 measures with the greatest climate benefit. The study concludes
that all 14 measures would curb the release of either black carbon or
methane, pollutants that exacerbate climate change and damage human or
plant health either directly or by leading to ozone formation. The new
study builds upon research featured in an assessment report published
last year by the United Nations Environment Program and the World
Meteorological Organization.
The study also finds that hundreds of thousands of deaths would be
prevented with such changes. Between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature
deaths could be averted, say scientists. Black carbon, a product of
burning fossil fuels or biomass such as wood or dung, is one of the
leading causes of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The small
particles also absorb radiation from the sun causing the atmosphere to
warm and rainfall patterns to shift. In addition, they darken ice and
snow, reducing their reflectivity and hastening global warming. Ways to
cut back include building more efficient cookstoves, installing more
filters on diesel vehicles, taking the worst polluting vehicles off the
road and banning the practice of burning farmland, the study said.
Methane, a colorless and flammable substance that is a major
constituent of natural gas, is both a potent greenhouse gas and an
important precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone, a key component of
smog and also a greenhouse gas, damages crops and human health. Nations
could update wastewater treatment plants, limit emissions from farm
manure, drain rice paddies more often, capture gas that escapes from
coal mines and oil and gas facilities and reduce leaks from
long-distance pipelines.
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