Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Could reducing fossil-fuel emissions cause global warming?

Abstract

WHEN fossil fuel is burned, both carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide are added to the atmosphere. The former should cause warming of the lower atmosphere by enhancing the greenhouse effect, whereas the latter, by producing sulphate aerosols, may cause a cooling effect. The possibility that these two processes could offset each other was suggested many years ago (see, for example, ref. 1), but during most of the intervening period, attention has focused on the greenhouse effect. Interest in tropospheric aerosols has, however, recently been rekindled by the realization that they may influence climate, not only through clear-sky radiative effects2–5, but also by modifying cloud albedo6–8. Here I examine the sensitivity of the climate system to simultaneous changes in SO2 and CO2 emissions, as might occur if controls were imposed on fossil-fuel use. Over the next 10–30 years, it is conceivable that the increased radiative forcing due to SO2 concentration changes could more than offset reductions in radiative forcing due to reduced CO2 emissions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Mitchell, J. M. Jr in The Changing Global Environment (ed. Singer, S. F.) 149–173 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1975).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Rasool, S. I. & Schneider, S. H. Science 173, 138–141 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hansen, J. E., Lacis, A. A., Lee, P. & Wang, W.-C. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 338, 575–587 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Charlson, R. J., Langner, J. & Rodhe, H. Nature 348, 22 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Charlson, R. J., Langner, J. & Rodhe, H. Tellus (in the press).

  6. Twomey, S. A., Peipgrass, M. & Wolfe, T. L. Tellus 36B, 356–366 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Charlson, R. J., Lovelock, J. E., Andreae, M. O. & Warren, S. G. Nature 326, 655–661 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wigley, T. M. L. Nature 339, 365–367 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Legrand, M. E., Delmas, R. J. & Charlson, R. J. Nature 334, 418–420 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Leaitch, W. R., Strapp, J. W., Isaac, G. A. & Hudson, J. G. Tellus 38B, 328–344 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Baker, M. B. & Charlson, R. J. Nature 345, 142–145 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Maier-Reimer, E. & Hasselmann, K. Clim. Dyn. 2, 63–90 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Harvey, L. D. D. Climatic Change 15, 343–381 (1989).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hansen, J. E. & Lacis, A. A. Nature 346, 713–719 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Shine, K. P., Derwent, R. G., Wuebbles, D. J. & Morcrette, J.-J. in Climate Change, The IPCC Scientific Assessment (eds Houghton, J. T., Jenkins, G. J. & Ephraums, J. J.) 41–68 (Cambridge University Press, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Albrecht, B. A. Science 245, 1227–1230 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wigley, T. Could reducing fossil-fuel emissions cause global warming?. Nature 349, 503–506 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349503a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/349503a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing