Everything is connected

The world is warming through climate change but 2023 was warmer than predicted. This led to questions of why and Quaglia and Visioni (2024) think they have part of the answer.

International shipping regulations came in in January 2020 that significantly reduced sulfate emissions. This is important because sulfate causes both risks for human health such as respiratory problems and environmental damage including acidification.

At the same time sulfate is a light coloured particle, which means it has a higher reflectivity. This means that sulfates in the atmosphere actually reflect some of the sun’s energy back out of the atmosphere. Consequently, a reduction in sulfate emissions results in more energy reaching earth’s surface and more warming.

Clearly improving air and environmental quality are necessary but as we see more and more catastrophic climate events the potential impacts on climate also need to be considered. This is why we need interdisciplinary working groups and systems thinking when making decisions and setting targets in many areas.