The economic growth across Asia is having an impact on global pollution. Check this story from Discovery News that the Asian summer monsoon is spreading a lethal cocktail of pollutants like black carbon, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides into the stratosphere. These pollutants remain in the atmosphere for many years, they don't break down that quickly. All this may well compound the impact of climate change because sulfur aerosols impact the ozone layer that blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the ground and aerosol pollutants interact with other greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, that influence the amount of solar heat reaching Earth.
This is going to get a lot worse. With the growth of China and other rapdily growing Asian nations, the level of pollutants in the atmosphere will have to increase.
That said, it's wise to remember that America is falling behind China and other developing countries that are pouring billions of dollars into efforts to reduce carbon emissions and build up renewable energy markets. American investments in clean energy, which totaled $18.6 billion, had fallen 40% from 2008 levels. It can only be explained by the absence of renewable energy standards and other regulations. As the New York Times reports, this development is turning the climate change debate on its head.
So before you start worrying about Asian pollution, think about the brown cloud heading your way from America.
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