How did a sudden reduction in shipping pollution inadvertently stoke global warming?
www.latimes.com
A major shift in global shipping regulations intended to improve air quality may have temporarily — and inadvertently — set off a geoengineering reaction that is warming the planet, new research has found.

An interesting case where trying to make positive change resulted in an unintended consequence

  • Darren the Foxcoon
    71·
    6 months ago

    Ah yes, I remember this news from months ago.

    TL;DR for peeps in a hurry: Dirty emissions from cheap fuel-oil were making/seeding extra clouds over the ocean, enough to reflect a measurable amount of incoming sunlight.

    New cleaner fuels (or electric power?) = no more extra clouds = slight uptick in global temp. Oopsie whoopsie.

    • Maddier1993@programming.dev
      8·
      6 months ago

      Warming isn’t the only thing to worry about. Pollution needs to be reined in too. So does it really matter that global temps increased in the short term? Dirty emissions contribute to long term global warming. So it’s better to curb them at the source than to bet on dodgy carbon capture promises.

      • Darren the Foxcoon
        2·
        6 months ago

        Yes, I agree – the dirty emissions were prob causing acid rain or other serious problems that needed to be addressed anyway.

        Absolutely wasn’t trying to dunk on cleaner tech or climate change, sorry if it seemed like it. Leftie enviro-hippie doesn’t even begin to fully describe me fam, lol. We’re on the same team.