Soot: Harming People and Making Global Warming Worse

Soot, also known as black carbon, is the second-leading cause of global warming after carbon dioxide, and it's totally preventable. We already have the technology to avoid producing it; it's just a matter of using it.

We need tighter standards on diesel fuel at home, and we need to finance technology transfer abroad. Reducing black carbon now will buy precious time for the Arctic, and improve public health.

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Op-Ed: Time for Arctic Leadership on Black Carbon

Photo of Arctic ice. Florian Schulz / visionsofthewild.com.
In an op-ed, attorney Erika Rosenthal and professor Martin Williams discuss how Arctic nations have an extraordinary opportunity to show global leadership to slow regional warming and melting by embracing a proposal to launch talks on an agreement to reduce emissions of the climate pollutant black carbon.

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Report : Sick Of Soot

Congress: Take Action
Earthjustice, Clean Air Task Force and the American Lung Association released the report Sick of Soot in November 2011. The report summarizes the findings of a technical report showing that nearly 36,000 premature deaths could be prevented in the U.S. every year if the Environmental Protection Agency strengthens the health standards for soot pollution.

Read Sick of Soot to learn about fine particulate matter and how both short- and long-term exposure is dangerous to public health.

Make a contribution

Photo of muskoxen. Florian Schulz / visionsofthewild.com.
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Blog Spotlight

Scope of Science: The Dark Side of Soot
Be green: get rid of black by Chrissy Pepino

Recent Blog Posts

Arctic Athabaskans Urge Black Carbon Reductions to...
Grand Chief Ruth Massey shares eyewitness account of climate change by Grand Chief Ruth Massie
Time To Confront A Major Climate Pollutant: Soot
Arctic nations share unique responsibility for slowing ice melt by Trip Van Noppen
Scope of Science: Climate in a New Era
What your weatherman may not tell you about 2013 by Chrissy Pepino

Featured Stories

About Black Carbon
Black carbon casts a deadly shadow worldwide, from the sprawl of Los Angeles, to the slums of Mumbai, to the Arctic ice that sustains polar bears and other wildlife. But quick action to cut black carbon can slow Arctic melting, fight global warming and save lives.
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Teleconference: Black Carbon and Human Rights
The Arctic Athabaskan Council has filed a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, asking the Commission to declare that Canada is undermining the human rights of Athabaskan peoples by poorly regulating emissions of black carbon. This telepress conference was held the day the petition was filed.
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When Polluters Lose, Clean Air Should Win
Take Action! There should be no more delay in cleaning up dirty industries and making polluters spend money on protecting public health rather than trying to win elections. Please take a moment to write President Obama and tell him that protecting clean air standards and moving toward a clean energy future are important to you!
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Photos: Visions of the Arctic
Of all the places Earthjustice works to protect, few are as iconic and misunderstood as the Arctic. View a slideshow of Florian Schulz's Arctic photography, showcasing the beauty of the Arctic and the threats the region faces from industrialization and climate change.
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