Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

How important is black carbon for public health and climate?

Black carbon, a component of particulate matter (PM), causes significant harm to public health (WHO, 2012) and has also been identified as a major climate forcer, ranking alongside methane and just behind carbon dioxide (Bond et al., 2013). Found almost everywhere in the atmosphere, black carbon creates warming as it absorbs sunlight. And as black carbon is emitted directly by combustion in, for example, motorized vehicles and traditional cookstoves, it also carries toxins such as polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Publication Year

2016

Publication Type

Citation

Kutzner, R., Schmale, J., & von Schneidemesser, E. (2016). How important is black carbon for public health and climate? environmentalresearchweb.org: Talking Point.

Share via email

Copied to clipboard

Print