Accounting for Non- CO2 Forcing Factors
As the world continues to grapple with the impacts of global warming and climate change, much of the focus over the past few decades has been on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in an effort to mitigate the effects of global warming. This is certainly an important part of the climate change puzzle, as CO2 emissions are one of the major contributors to the human-caused climate change observed today, but there are also several other non-CO2 forcings that contribute to the long-term trends of climate change.
What are Non-CO2 Forcings?
Non-CO2 forcings are any environmental driver other than CO2 emissions that affect the climate system. They can come from both natural sources, such as volcanoes, solar radiation, and natural variability; and human sources, such as air pollution, land use, and urbanization. All of these non-CO2 forcings result in the redistribution of energy within the Earth’s atmosphere and surface, which can affect global and regional climates.
How Non-CO2 Forcings Influence Climate Change?
The degree to which non-CO2 forcings contribute to climate change depends on the geographical location and the type of forcing. For example, aerosols emitted by human activity are found in larger concentrations in densely populated areas, and typically cool the Earth’s surface due to the scattering of radiation from the sun. This cooling effect can be especially strong in coastal regions, where the aerosols can block sunlight from reaching the surface.
At the same time, other human-made forcings, such as changes in land cover and land use, also affect the climate by changing the reflectivity of the surface. For instance, the conversion of forests to croplands results in a decrease in the overall reflectivity of the surface, resulting in a more rapid warming.
The Role of Non-CO2 Forcings in Estimating Climate Forcings
In order to determine the degree to which non-CO2 forcings contribute to climate change, it is important to understand their influence in the overall climate forcings. Climate forcings are the external factors that alter the planet’s energy balance and drive changes in the climate system.
Non-CO2 forcings have been found to have a significant contribution to the overall climate forcings. According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), non-CO2 forcings account for up to 40% of the total climate forcing since 1750.
Furthermore, the IPCC also notes that non-CO2 forcings have had a greater influence on climate change over the past few decades than their CO2 counterparts. For example, aerosols are significantly stronger radiation absorbers than CO2 and have been found to have played a role in the slowing of the global temperature increase since 1998.
In conclusion, it is clear that non-CO2 forcings play an important role in climate change. They can affect the energy balance of the planet, both through cooling and warming, and can have a significant influence on global and regional climates. For this reason, it is important to consider non-CO2 forcings in any climate change mitigation efforts. Understanding how non-CO2 forcings affect the climate system is an important part of understanding the long-term effects of climate change, and their inclusion in climate models is necessary for accurately predicting future climate conditions.
