Reducing soot emissions from diesel engines and other sources could slow melting of sea ice in the Arctic faster and more economically than any other "quick fix", it has been claimed.

Speaking at the 242nd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Mark Z Jacobson, Ph.D, said controlling soot could reduce warming above parts of the Arctic Circle by almost three degrees Fahrenheit within 15 years, potentially wiping out all warming in the region during the last 100 years.

The findings lend support to more widespread adoption of platinum autocatalysts and particulate filters in diesel engines, as well as zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

"Converting gasoline and diesel-burning cars and trucks to electric or hydrogen vehicles and reducing emissions from diesel generators could have an immediate effect on warming," according to Jacobson, who is with Stanford University.

"No other measure could have such an immediate effect. Soot emissions are second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in promoting global warming, but its effects have been underestimated in previous climate models."

As a result, soot's effect on climate change has not been addressed in national and international global warming legislation.

Soot emissions account for about 17 per cent of global warming. This, Jacobson added, could be reduced by 90 per cent in five to ten years with "aggressive national and international policies".

Source:

Cutting soot emissions: Fastest, most economical way to slow global warming (31/08/11)

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