Much of the world’s focus is on reducing carbon dioxide emissions – but have we overlooked the emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the process?
According to a new analysis appearing in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, emissions peaked in the 1970s and then decreased until 2000 – only to increase again in recent years due to emissions in China, international shipping and developing countries.
The authors suggest that anthropogenic emissions have resulted in vast increases in sulphur deposition near more industrialised areas. These emissions can be detrimental to ecosystems and harm aquatic animals and plants. They can also form sulphate aerosols that can have a significant effect on global and regional climates.
In order to determine how much sulphur has been emitted the team collected data sets from more than 140 countries and went back as far as the 1800s. The factors determining total emissions include fuel consumed, its sulphur content and any pollution controls that are employed.
Since 1980 the fraction of sulphur from petrol and coal has remained constant at 50 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. However, particularly noteworthy is the phenomenal growth of China whose share of emissions came in at 28 per cent in 2005 – up from just two per cent in 1950.
