Submission + - China's Coal Power Plants Mask Climate Change 2
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The Guardian reports that new research reveals that the huge increase in coal-fired power stations in China, increasing from just over 10 gigawatts (GW) in 2002 to over 80GW in 2006, has masked the impact of global warming in the last decade because of the cooling effect of their sulphur emissions, but scientists warn that rapid warming is likely to resume when the short-lived sulphur pollution – which also causes acid rain – is cleaned up and the full heating effect of long-lived carbon dioxide is felt. "Reductions in carbon emissions will be more important as China installs scrubbers [on its coal-fired power stations], which reduce sulphur emissions," says Dr. Robert Kaufman. "This, and solar insolation increasing as part of the normal solar cycle, [will mean] temperature is likely to increase faster." The effect also explains the lack of global temperature rise seen between 1940 and 1970 as the effect of the sulphur emissions from increased coal burning outpaced that of carbon emissions, until acid rain controls were introduced, after which temperature rose quickly. "Warming due to the CO2 released by Chinese industrialisation has been partially masked by cooling due to reflection of solar radiation by sulphur emissions," says Prof Joanna Haigh. "On longer timescales, with cleaner emissions, the warming effect will be more marked.""
Heard it all before. (Score:2)
"The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, analysed possible reasons for the flat 1998-2008 temperature trend using climate models and concluded that it was unlikely to be due simply to the random variation inherent in the planet's climate system."
"Why aren't any of my pet global warming theories actually predicting anything??? I know! It must be because of these three other unproven factors. And the idea is endorsed by... who else? Michael E. Mann! Who could hpossibly ave guessed?
Get back to us when it sounds more like real science, please.
And here I was... (Score:2)
... thinking that coal fueled power plants were creating global warming. Now I am being told that they have reduced the effect. Or perhaps could it be more like the following:
Global Scientist 1: Oh shit, we have China multiplying its coal fueled power stations and subsequent emissions yet the planet is cooling.
Global Scientist 2: Hmmm, How about we blame the coal fueled power stations for preventing the warming
Global Scientist 1: Won't people realise that we are full of shit
Global Scientist 2: I'm not full