<
https://grist.org/climate-energy/some-cities-are-so-polluted-theyre-warming-slower/>
"The question of whether global warming is accelerating is hotly contested
among climate scientists. While some have argued that the current rate of
warming — which hit an all-time high last year — is strictly correlated with
increased fossil fuel emissions and therefore aligned with current climate
models, others have cautioned that the Earth is far more sensitive to fossil
fuels than previously thought and that humanity is hurtling toward tipping
points from which there can be no return.
In a recent study, a group of researchers from the University of Melbourne
complicated this debate with an analysis of warming rates across the globe and
possible causes for regional differences. Their principal finding: The globe is
getting hotter at a faster rate, but this acceleration is occurring unevenly.
Surprisingly, densely populated areas with large concentrations of poverty —
megacities like Cairo and Mumbai — are warming more slowly than urban centers
in Europe and North America. Why? The researchers found that the large quantity
of aerosol particles in the air of highly polluted cities reflect sunlight back
out into space and, at least in the short term, can have a net cooling effect
on populations.
“It’s a brain-twister,” said Edith de Guzman, an adaptation policy specialist
at the University of California at Los Angeles Luskin Center for Innovation,
who commended the researchers for their work. The authors of the paper
emphasized that the finding should hardly be taken as a good sign. For one,
it’s likely only temporary. And secondly, the protection, such as it is, only
comes from harmful pollutants. De Guzman concurred, saying accelerated warming
means that “populations that are already grossly vulnerable to a variety of
environmental and climate injustices will be more vulnerable.”
As countries develop economically, their governments tend to adopt policies to
clean up pollution, and as the air clears, vulnerable populations will be at a
high risk of dangerous heat exposure. Christopher Schwalm, the Risk Program
Director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, offered the example of China,
where the government has begun to equip its coal-fired power plants with
emissions reduction technologies like scrubbers, to prevent soot from escaping
the facility. Such measures are good for the quality of the air, he said, but
they will allow more heat from the sun to seep in. The hardest hit will be
those without access to air conditioners and shaded areas.
“The poorer you are the hotter it gets, where heat is a metaphor for all forms
of climate disruption,” Schwalm said. “It’s really hard to do good for not
doing bad.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
