Not exact matches
By analyzing satellite data and other measures, Daniel and his colleagues found that such
aerosols have been on the
rise in Earth's atmosphere in the past decade, nearly doubling in
concentration.
In other words, there is some value that can be assigned to
aerosol cooling that offsets high temperature sensitives to
rising CO2
concentrations enough to mathematically spit out temperatures sortof kindof similar to those over the last decade.
But here's the problem: when the
concentration of
aerosols is reduced — and they have to be; many of them are poisons pure and simple — the total «greenhouse forcing» will
rise rapidly unless the non-CO2 gases, as well as soot, are also reduced, and just as quickly.
This study of course does not take away very different concerns related to stratospheric
aerosol SRM geoengineering, like possible damage to the ozone layer [which in turn would be good news if you hate waiting for that spring tan] and the fact that allowing CO2
concentrations to keep
rising presents other problems, like the necessity to never stop with the active process of SRM geoengineering, and increasing ecological damage caused by ocean acidification.
In other words: Proposed strategies to alter the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth's surface by (for example) deliberately injecting millions of tons of sulfate
aerosols into the stratosphere pose enormous risks and uncertainties and don «t address the underlying causes of global warming or other major risks from
rising concentrations of carbon dioxide, such as ocean acidification.
That is, there is still a fair chance that we can «hold the 2 °C line», if strong mitigation of greenhouse gases is combined with the following three actions: (i) a slow, rather than instant, elimination of
aerosol cooling, (ii) a directed effort to first remove warming
aerosols like black carbon, and (iii) a concerted and sustained programme, over this century, to draw - down excessive CO2 (geo - and bio-engineering) and simultaneously reduce non-CO2 forcings, such that the final equilibrium temperature
rise will be lower than would otherwise be expected on the basis of current
concentrations.