| dc.description.abstract | Black Carbon (BC) is a type of atmospheric aerosol, emitted by many anthropogenic activities through incomplete combustion of, primarily, fossil fuels. Unlike other aerosols, BC absorbs sunlight, and can therefore heat the climate similarly to a greenhouse gas. However, the strength of BC as a driver of global warming, or other aspects of climate change, is still hotly debated.
Here, we have calculated updated values for common metrics of the climate impact of BC emissions, relative to the values presented in the IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5). These values were not updated for the 6th Assessment Report (AR6). We give revised values for its Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Global Temperature Potential (GTP), at three different time horizons (20, 50 and 100 years).
Recent scientific advances somewhat reduce the values of common metrics of the climate impact of BC emissions, relative to the values presented in AR5. As an example, we find a GWP100 for BC of 342, compared to the AR5 value of 658. For GTP100, we find a value of 63, compared to the AR5 values of 91
While the values presented here are numerically lower than previous estimates, we emphasise that BC remains a potent climate warming agent, in particular when the emissions occur at high latitudes. | en_US |
