Ramanathan on bringing climate solutions down to Earth
Two weeks ago, Pope Francis said: "if we destroy Creation, in the end it will destroy us." Following a Vatican summit on sustainability convened by one of us that discussed the dangers of climate change and global warming, the Pope's stern warning asked all of us to be better stewards of nature. But many people wonder what they can do to join the fight against global warming beyond buying a Prius and installing solar panels in their homes.
We know that global warming is primarily caused by the release of carbon dioxide and that the planet has warmed by more than 1°F. This week's announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cut carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants by almost one-third is a great step in the right direction. But global warming is not only caused by carbon dioxide. Climate change is a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted set of solutions. We need solutions to address all forms of climate pollution. We can start immediately reducing other climate pollutants to complement efforts to cut carbon dioxide. Roughly 40 percent of the heat added to the planet is from a class of climate pollutants that are the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide. These climate pollutants only stay in the atmosphere for a few days to a decade and a half. That means that actions taken today to reduce these short-lived pollutants can have immediate and measurable impacts in slowing down global warming.