Fossil Fuel Curbs May Speed Global Warming: Scientists

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 1/12/05 | Matt Falloon - Reuters

[NormsRevenge]

LONDON (Reuters) - Cutting down on fossil fuel pollution could accelerate global warming and help turn parts of Europe into desert by 2100, according to research to be aired on British television on Thursday. "Global Dimming," a BBC Horizon documentary, will describe research suggesting fossil fuel by-products like sulfur dioxide particles reflect the sun's rays, "dimming" temperatures and almost canceling out the greenhouse effect.

The researchers say cutting down on the burning of coal and oil, one of the main goals of international environmental agreements, will drastically heat rather than cool climate.

"When the cooling affect goes away -- and it must do because particles like sulfur dioxide are damaging to humans -- global warming will be much stronger," climate change scientist Dr Peter Cox told Reuters on Wednesday.

Temperatures could increase in the worst case by up to 10 degrees by the end of the century, the researchers said -- much more than current estimates.

Scientists differ as to whether global warming is caused by man-made emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases, by natural climate cycles or if it exists at all.

Take away fossil fuel by-products like sulfur dioxide without tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and the extra heat will speed warming, irreversibly melting ice sheets and rendering rain forests unsustainable within decades, Dr Cox said.

"The climate will warm more in the future but the ability of the land to store carbon dioxide will be compromised," he said, adding that warmer soil was less able to hold the greenhouse gas.

[D Rider]

Like many I have been sceptical about global warming, but these global dimming data precisely explain the connections between weather pattern shifts, including droughts, larger clouds with less rain, very large changes in surface solar radiation and in evaporation rates. And they also precisely explain the inconsistencies in the global warming data.

Have you had a chance to study paleoclimatologic cycles? If not, I wouldn't be so concerned. These are natural patterns of which we really have no control. 1 major volcanic eruption does more "harm" than all of mankind put together. Short of a major nuclear exchange mankind has little effect.

Also, correlations can be tricky things. There was a 30 year study in England that recently was able to show that men that shave every day live considerably longer than men that don't. Does that mean that cutting whiskers has some biological effect that extends ones lifespan? Women do live longer than men, and since women don't have the facial hair of men, this seems to support the conclusion supporting the dangers of facial hair. Or do you suppose that men that don't shave everyday are men without jobs that sit around at the local pub smoking cigarettes and drinking beer all day?

[Sam Cree]

Thanks for the ping.