Last week, in the blog post Ditch Dirty Diesel to Improve Public Health, we shared the argument that reducing diesel exhaust particulate matter will not only improve public health – it is the fastest way to slow global warming.
Though some mainstream organizations and philanthropic organizations haven’t yet shifted their focus, an increasing number of scientists and organizations are making that case – and have the data to back it up.
Writing in Black carbon larger cause of climate change than previously assessed, Piers Forster, co-author of an influential 2013 study on black carbon, wrote:
Reducing emissions from diesel engines and domestic wood and coal fires is a no brainer, as there are tandem health and climate benefits. If we did everything we could to reduce these emissions we could buy ourselves up to half a degree less warming–or a couple of decades of respite..
T.C. Bond and others concluded in Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A
scientific assessment:
Mitigation of diesel-engine sources appears to offer the most confidence in reducing near-term climate forcing.
In About Black Carbon, Earth Justice emphasized:
….quick action to cut black carbon can slow Arctic melting, fight global warming and save lives.
Next Big Future wrote on Friday, March 28 (emphasis mine)
Question: Is your organization emphasizing the twin benefits of reducing diesel exhaust particulate matter, and the necessity of doing if as rapidly as possible?