EcoJustice: Action on Soot / Black Carbon

[StoneMtn]

Black carbon casts a deadly shadow worldwide…and it is one of the biggest causes of warming in the Canadian Arctic. The fragile Arctic is home to polar bears, caribou and indigenous cultures that have prospered for thousands of years. But the region is dramatically changing—nearly 40 percent of sea ice that was present in the 1970s has since melted.

Canada can and should lead the world in protecting the Arctic from climate change. And quick action to cut black carbon is one of the strongest actions we can take to slow Arctic melting, fight global warming and save lives.

The chief culprit in global warming is carbon dioxide. But recent studies show that black carbon—microscopic airborne particles commonly known as soot—is a big factor and may account for as much as half of the warming taking place in the Canadian Arctic. Black carbon comes from diesel engines, industrial smokestacks and residential cooking and heating stoves. Along with deep cuts in carbon dioxide, curbing black carbon is crucial for slowing Arctic and global warming, and for averting catastrophic tipping points such as the melting of sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet.

Black carbon is also a leading cause of respiratory illness and death, so controlling emissions will save lives and improve health around the world. In India alone, black carbon-laden indoor smoke is responsible for over 400,000 premature deaths annually, mostly women and children.

In the environment, the direct absorption of sunlight by black carbon heats the atmosphere. When black carbon falls on snow and ice, it reduces reflectivity and speeds up melting. The good news: Because black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only days or weeks, moving quickly to expand existing technology can be an effective rapid response to slow warming and buy critical time to achieve reductions in CO2.

Canada and other developed nations must lead on this issue by creating stricter standards at home for diesel engines and other sources of black carbon pollution, and by committing to increased assistance to the developing world to reduce black carbon pollution from diesel, home cooking, indoor heating and other sources.

This is a climate change solution that Canada can and should lead. Please do your part to help and send this letter.

Link to send note to Canadian Government

[Flower]

Thanx for this. I clicked and sent a message to the PM.

everyone should too