According to scientists, soot emissions are the cheapest and fastest way to combat climate change, and more effort needs to be done to work towards this. Parts of the Artic are being stained black due to the soot deposits, and are causing the ice and snow to melt at an accelerated rate. And this in itself is beginning to affect global weather patterns.
A short term solution could be employed in the meantime to give countries the chance to reduce their fossil fuel use. One such method that could be employed is to reduce the concentration of the soot particles and other short-lived climate pollutants entering the atmosphere. President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development said, “You can’t solve a fast-moving problem like Arctic warming without fast-moving solutions. Cutting the short-lived climate pollutants is the fastest solution we’ve got. Reducing these super climate pollutants can reduce Arctic warming by two-thirds in the near term.”
Hailong Wang, an atmospheric scientist at the US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, states that “The warming effect could be through the direct heating of the air. Snow and sea ice by absorbing sunlight, and then accelerating the melting of snow and sea ice. When the melting starts, there are positive feedback processes that can lead to even faster melting.” It is calculated that the Arctic bears a significant brunt of global warming and that temperatures have risen by around 0.5c in the area by the melting of snow and heating of the atmosphere caused by soot.
Soot is the cause of various health issues including respiratory diseases as it settles on the lungs. Also, more than 4 million people per year are killed by smoky fuels from dirty cooking fires. Three of the best ways to deal with soot have been identified as reducing the amount of domestic wood burning in Asia, cutting gas flaring in Russia, and reducing emissions from diesel vehicles worldwide. This would help the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions tremendously. “With scientists recognizing that soot ranks second only behind carbon dioxide regarding global warming, it’s crucial that this pollution is cut to help avoid the worst impacts of climate change” states Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth.
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