The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated global warming.

The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia significantly reduced the concentration of short-lived cooling particles in the air, while the concentration of long-lived greenhouse gases was almost not affected.

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Thus, reducing emissions of pollutants not only leads to cleaner air, but also increases climate warming. This is evidenced by the results of a study by scientists from Stockholm University (Sweden), the press service of the university reports.

It is well known that emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants lead to the formation of aerosols (particles) in the air, which can offset or mask the overall warming of the climate caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, the article notes.

The cooling effect of aerosols is that they reflect solar radiation back into space. The lower the content of aerosols, the less cooling, which means that there is less “masking” of the warming effect of more durable “climatic” gases.

Previously, scientists did not have enough knowledge about this “cloaking effect”. In order to determine its size, large-scale experiments covering vast regions would be required, which was impossible to do. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has become such a “natural” experiment.

In the spring of 2020, the activity of many industries and transport around the world decreased due to pandemic restrictions. This created a unique opportunity to study what happens to the climate if emissions of gases and aerosols are quickly reduced, the article says.

In their study, scientists used data on the composition of the atmosphere and radiation collected by the station on the island of Hanimadu, which is part of the Maldives and is located off the coast of India.

This station is strategically located to capture air masses from the Asian subcontinent and is located in an area with few regional emission sources. When emissions suddenly dropped during a pandemic in South Asia (mainly Pakistan, India and Bangladesh), it was possible to see what impact this had on the climate. It turned out that:

• the concentration of short-lived air pollutants has decreased significantly, while the concentration of long-lived greenhouse gases has remained almost unchanged in the air mass over South Asia;
• measurements taken at the same time over the northern Indian Ocean revealed a 7% increase in solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, and hence a rise in temperature.

Although the sky is bluer and the air is cleaner, climate warming increased when these cooling air particles were removed, the researchers note.

In summary, the results show that moving away from fossil fuels entirely in favor of zero-emission renewable energy sources can lead to rapid removal of aerosols while leaving greenhouse gases behind.

Within a few decades, cutting emissions could lead to net warming of the climate due to the “cloaking” effect of airborne particles before the temperature drop from greenhouse gas reductions takes over. But, despite the initial effect of climate warming, we obviously still need a powerful reduction in emissions, the researchers note.

Source: Racurs

David

I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.