Black carbon could lead to premature mortality: Study

Source: PIB

What is the News?

According to a study, Black Carbon has a significant adverse effect on human health and leads to premature mortality.

Key Findings of the Study:

• The Indo-Gangetic plain has a high burden of black carbon with serious implications for regional climate and human health.
• A 10-point increase in air pollution from black carbon led to an average 5% increase in mortality.
• On the other hand, a similar rise in PM 2.5 led to an average 1% increase in mortality. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) were both associated with a 2.3% and 1.3% increase in mortality.

About Black Carbon (BC):

• Black carbon(BC) is a short-lived climate pollutant. It is the second-largest contributor to warming the planet after carbon dioxide(CO2).
• Black carbon is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass.
• Primary sources include emissions from diesel engines, cookstoves, wood burning and forest fires.
• Black carbon can have significant direct and indirect impacts on the climate, as it influences cloud formation and atmospheric heat absorption processes.

Other types of Carbon:

• Blue Carbon: It refers to coastal, aquatic and marine carbon sinks held by vegetation, marine organisms, and sediments.
• Green Carbon: It is the carbon that is stored in terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, pastures, and soils.
• Brown Carbon: It is a light-absorbing particle in the Earth’s atmosphere that has the unique characteristics of both cooling the planet’s surface and warming its atmosphere.