East Asian Air Pollution Reductions May Have Accelerated Global Warming

A new study suggests that the recent acceleration in global warming is partly due to the reduction of air pollution in East Asia, especially China, which had been masking the full extent of human-induced warming. The cleanup of pollutants like sulfur dioxide has removed a cooling effect, revealing more of the greenhouse gases' impact and causing faster surface warming. This artificial cooling effect, which has been in place for decades, is now diminishing as air quality improves, leading to an increase in observed global temperatures.