article thumbnail

Studies find global COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly reduced PM2.5 and NO2 pollution, but ozone up

Green Car Congress

Levels of two major air pollutants have been reduced significantly since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant—ground-level ozone—has increased in China, according to new research. Ozone is harmful to humans at ground-level, causing pulmonary and heart disease. —Guy Brasseur.

Ozone 291
article thumbnail

Reducing Black Carbon Emissions and Ground-Level Ozone Would Provide Immediate Benefit Against Climate Change

Green Car Congress

Reducing emissions of black carbon soot and ground-level ozone would quickly make a considerable dent in the climate change problem and would also contribute to public health and protect crop yields, according to an essay in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs. Besides a danger to breathe, ozone lowers crop yields.

article thumbnail

Cutting Non-CO2 Pollutants Can Delay Abrupt Climate Change; The Fast Action Climate Agenda

Green Car Congress

2009), reproduced from Ramanathan and Feng (2008) Click to enlarge. Cutting HFCs, black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and methane can buy us about 40 years before we approach the dangerous threshold of 2°C warming. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases originally developed as substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals. Earlier post.)

article thumbnail

UN Review of Recent Climate Research Concludes That Impacts Of Climate Change Coming Faster Than Anticipated

Green Car Congress

Significant climate anomalies 2008/2009. Source: Climate Change Compendium. In 2008, the minimum ice extent was 9% greater than in 2007, but still the second lowest on record. The hole in the ozone layer has had a cooling effect on Antarctica, and is partly responsible for masking expected warming on the continent.

article thumbnail

WMO: Atmospheric Concentrations of Main Greenhouse Gases in 2008 Set New Highs

Green Car Congress

Relative contribution of major greenhouse gases to the overall change in radiative forcing between 1979 and 1984 (a) and from 2003 to 2008 (b). Atmospheric levels of major greenhouse gases continue to increase, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) 2008 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. from 2007 to 2008.

2008 218
article thumbnail

US and UK researchers report direct measurement of key atmospheric reactant; more rapid formation of secondary aerosols

Green Car Congress

The researchers believe the measurements will substantially impact the understanding of atmospheric chemistry mechanisms—in particular, in the more rapid formation of secondary aerosols, important in the formation of local smog as well as in global climate change. Carl Percival. —Welz et al. —Marston (2012).

Ozone 268
article thumbnail

IPCC: GHG emissions accelerating despite mitigation efforts; major institutional and technological change required to keep the heat down

Green Car Congress

Decomposition of the decadal change in total global CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion by four driving factors; population, income (GDP) per capita, energy intensity of GDP and carbon intensity of energy. The global economic crisis 2007/2008 only temporarily reduced emissions. WG III Summary for Policymakers. Click to enlarge.

Emissions 257