In 2020, a significant reduction in Pollution from the shipping industry led to an unexpected global heating phenomenon known as the “termination shock.” This event caused the rate of Global warming to double compared to the long-term average since 1880, according to a new study.
Historically, ships burned high-sulfur fuels that produced aerosols capable of blocking sunlight and forming clouds, thus mitigating some of the effects of Global warming. However, starting in 2020, stringent new regulations slashed the sulfur content in marine fuels by over 80%, dramatically reducing the emission of these cooling aerosols.
Researchers have calculated that this sudden drop in aerosol emissions has led to a significant increase in solar radiation absorption at the Earth’s surface, intensifying the ongoing climate crisis. The effect of this abrupt cessation of Pollution, which spanned decades, is now viewed as an inadvertent large-scale geoengineering effort, providing crucial insights into both the potential and risks of such strategies.
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