No. 358: Ozone and black carbon in the troposphere are about half responsible for global warming as carbon dioxide (November 22, 2011)

Ozone and black carbon in the troposphere up to the altitude of about 10 km are also responsible for global warming. They affect global warming about 45% as much as carbon dioxide does. A research team of Japan Environment Sanitation Center conducted the research using a supercomputer as a strategic research and development project sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment. It calculated how much each substance contributed to the temperature increase after the Industrial Revolution and found that carbon dioxide increased the temperature by 1.31 degrees centigrade, while ozone and black carbon increased it by 0.31 and 0.28 degrees centigrade, respectively.

Reducing carbon oxide emissions is given the highest priority, but reducing these two substances is expected to contribute greatly to the mitigation of global warming. The research team said, “Reducing carbon oxide emissions is very important for the prevention of global warming, but we can see the effect only after the second half of the 21st century. However, if appropriate measures are taken to reduce these air pollutants, we can see the effect around 2030.”