Pollution That Prevents Global Warming
Page last updated on 2010 / 18 / 07The headline may seem absurd at first glance, but is part of a process that yet again illustrates how the balances of cycles on our planet are intricately balanced.
A United Nations organisation, the International Maritime Organization, has agreed for plans to cut the amount of sulphur dioxide emitted by the world's ships, a compound that in the atmosphere has actually helped to keep temperatures down on the Earth's surface by blocking out some of the sunlight by its presence in the atmosphere.
The contradiction is that by reducing the amount of sulphur dioxide emitted will result in more sunlight, and thus more heat being trapped in our atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide has an opposite effect whereby it actually helps trap heat in the atmosphere.
New Scientist currently has an article running on this phenomenon.