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Black Carbon C LIMATE A LERT C A A Publication of the Climate Institute | Protecting the balance between climate and life on Earth How does black carbon change the climate debate? Volume 19, No. 4 19, No. Volume — Autumn 2009 Autumn WITH ANALYSIS OF SOURCES • EFFECTS Autumn 2009 CHALLENGES • SOLUTIONS Volume 19, No. 4 Climate Alert A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The past three years ward a shorter time period, perhaps 20 (from inefficient two stroke engines, die- have seen a cascade of years rather than 100, to calculate Global sel particulates, etc.) and about 8% to findings suggesting that Warming Potential (GWP). the industrial sector. Together with resi- climate change may be Already, much greater attention is dential sector emissions, these are a ma- happening far faster than being paid to the need for accelerated jor factor in the outdoor air pollution that any of us had anticipated, and that it may reductions of black carbon. The Pacific claims about 800,000 lives each year. be feeding on itself much as a cancer dev- island nation of Micronesia, working An innovative strategy to slash black astates a previously healthy body. How- closely with the Institute for Governance carbon may have many elements: ever, thanks to recent enterprising work and Sustainable Development, has man- Establish a value for black carbon in by climate scientists, perceptive analysts, aged to include discussions of black car- greenhouse trading systems; and leaders of small island states, human- bon reductions in the ongoing climate Build black carbon into a life cycle ity may have an opportunity to prevent negotiations. The United Nations Envi- analysis of greenhouse drivers being catastrophic climate change. ronment Programme (UNEP) has developed for an ISO that may shape In March 2008, Ramanathan and Car- launched a concerted effort to assess investment patterns; michael published an article indicating how black carbon reductions might play Move GWPs to a shorter time frame that black carbon, a key component of a role in climate stabilization. The United to encourage more near-term reduc- soot from incomplete combustion of fos- Nations Foundation, already committed tions in radiative forcing; sil fuels and biomass, plays a very powerful to a clean cookstove initiative to save Foster experimentation with strategies role in the radiative forcing driving the cli- lives, now sees this effort as having that combine climate and air quality mate change that we are now experiencing. added value in reducing the radiative protection (already several states in Refining the calculations used by the IPCC in forcing that is driving much of the current Central Mexico that hope to have a re- its Fourth Assessment Report published in warming, melting polar ice, and threaten- gional emissions agreement in place be- early 2007, they estimated that the warm- ing island states and coastal regions alike. fore COP 16 seek to include black carbon); ing caused by atmospheric black carbon There is a huge win-win potential if we Highlight benefits of black carbon between 2000-2003 was equivalent to 55% can get this right. About 26% of black reductions in reducing particulate of the warming caused by atmospheric CO2 carbon comes from the residential sector deposition in regions such as the Hi- over the same period. Even 55% may - essentially from incomplete combustion malayas and thus slowing glacial melt underestimate black carbon’s total effect, in cookstoves that burn fossil fuel and that affects future water supplies; as it does not allow for the changed al- biomass. The health and climate bene- Develop a cookstove transformation bedo from deposition of black carbon on fits of transforming the world’s stove that engages the ingenuity of grass- Himalayan, Andean and other glaciers culture are enormous. Over 1.9 million roots NGOs, entrepreneurs and com- and on snow and ice across the planet. people worldwide, roughly 85% women munications media; and In June 2008, Dr. Michael Mac- and children, die annually from indoor Remove barriers to recycling of indus- Cracken, the Climate Institute’s Chief air pollution from stoves. Technologies trial waste heat for electricity. Scientist for Climate Change Programs, already exist that can make a difference It is short-sighted to view black carbon wrote a landmark paper proposing North at manageable costs even if applied to as a problem only for developing coun- -South reciprocal climate action. Under the roughly 780 million traditional cook- tries. In the US, per capita emissions are this plan, richer countries would move stoves across the planet: about $100 will slightly above the global average. Reduc- on all fronts toward climate stabilization buy a solar oven that achieves 100% tions are underway in the transportation while industrializing countries would black carbon reductions, and $25 buys a sector due to tougher diesel particulate focus on reducing emissions of black more efficient burner of biomass or fossil standards and fleet turnover. Still, archaic carbon and short-lived greenhouse gases fuel that can achieve 80% reductions. anti-competitive rules inhibit energy re- such as methane, as well as implement- Besides saving millions of lives over the cycling. Not only do these rules squander ing win-win CO2 control measures such next decade and freeing women from low cost reductions of carbon dioxide, as ending deforestation and increasing much of the drudgery in biomass gather- they also forego large potential additional energy efficiency. Working with Frances ing, the potential climate benefits are reductions in black carbon emissions. A Moore, Dr. MacCracken has proposed a startling. Eliminating all black carbon concerted effort in countries North and Lifetime Leveraging Framework that emissions from cookstoves over 20 years South alike would not only save many would enhance incentives to achieve would be roughly equivalent to changing lives but also give hope to the people of near- and medium-term reductions. every car and light truck on Earth to a the Maldives and Micronesia that they These would include establishing a value zero carbon dioxide emitter. About 19% may have a future in the 22nd century. for black carbon in emissions trading and of black carbon emissions globally are related credit systems and moving to- attributable to the transportation sector Commentary by John C. Topping, Jr. Page 2 Climate Institute | www.climate.org Volume 19, No. 4 Black Carbon: An Emerging Climate Change Culprit Sir Crispin Tickell, Climate Institute Chairman Emeritus n the last few years, climate change ticularly for those, usually women, who What then should be done if black in one form or another has entered live by home cook fires in India and China. carbon emissions are to be reduced? I public debate. Of course There is the usual difficulty global climate and local weather Radiative Forcing (watts per square meter) in fixing priorities. They re- are always changing, but it is the late to most other issues at idea that human activities, par- From IPCC AR4 (2007) Copenhagen. Obviously we 2 ticularly since the industrial Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 1.66 W/m need to tackle energy policy, 2 revolution, are responsible for Methane (CH4) 0.48 W/m reduce dependence on fossil dangerous and accelerating 2 fuels, improve energy effi- change, that is now causing Black carbon in the atmosphere 0.44 W/m ciency and invest in new alarm. Successive Assessments Black carbon deposited on snow and ice 0.10 W/m2 transport technologies. We of the Intergovernmental Panel also need to ban or regulate on Climate Change have brought From Ramanathan & Carmichael (2008) slash-and-burn clearing of out the role of such greenhouse Black carbon in the atmosphere 0.90 W/m2 forests, limit combustion of gases as carbon dioxide and agricultural and other methane in promoting global warming In the light of recent research it has wastes, and introduce new systems for and climatic destabilization, but so far the been suggested that the warming effects home cooking stoves and heating. Se- importance of black carbon, otherwise of black carbon exceed those of all questration of biochar will also be impor- known as soot has been underestimated. greenhouse gases except carbon dioxide. tant. The list is long and connected with This is now changing as a result of current Obviously many uncertainties remain. virtually all other environmental prob- scientific research, notably by V. Rama- But at least it should be a prime subject lems, including resource depletion, hu- nathan at the Scripps Institution at La Jolla. for discussion at the forthcoming meet- man population increase and migration, Soot is usually associated with local ing of the signatories to the UN Frame- and loss of biodiversity. pollution rather than global warming. It work Convention on Climate Change Perhaps most difficult will be how to comes from smoke arising from burning (COP 15) at Copenhagen in December. combine practical measures on the in all its forms, ranging from forest fires, Unlike the effects of greenhouse gases ground with distribution of financial help power stations and cooking stoves to which remain in the atmosphere for hun- between countries. In short, who should diesel exhaust from vehicles. It has cre- dreds of years, reductions in black carbon pay for what. Still more important will ated the famous atmospheric brown could have effects within days or weeks. be the creation of some institution to cloud which, when seen from space, cov- It is never easy to attribute responsi- regulate and enforce whatever agree- ers much of Asia, and sprinkles black bility for black carbon emissions, but in ment can be reached. My own view is droplets as far away as the Arctic and the global terms the largest emissions come that sooner rather than later we need a Antarctic. The science is far from simple from South and East Asia as a product of World Environment Organization to be or even certain.
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