Realistic efforts to cut emissions would not result in near-term temperature increases as previously thought. In addition to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, burning fossil fuels creates emissions of short-lived pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide, which form atmospheric aerosols. The study is the first to show that these pollutants are likely to have a significant impact on global temperatures. Academics at Duke and Leeds have argued the opposite and added aggressive decarbonisation measures also result in benefits for climate mitigation and local air quality over short and long timescales.
Realistic efforts to cut emissions would not result in near-term temperature increases as previously thought. In addition to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, burning fossil fuels creates emissions of short-lived pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide, which form atmospheric aerosols. These were thought to cool the climate by diffusing and reflecting incoming shortwave radiation, with some modelling indicating a drop in these aerosols could cause a spike in warming. Academics at Duke and Leeds have argued the opposite and added aggressive decarbonisation measures also result in benefits for climate mitigation and local air quality over short and long timescales.