Atmospheric microplastics may be warming the planet more than they cool
TL;DR Summary
A Nature Climate Change study finds microplastics and nanoplastics in the air absorb sunlight and radiation, producing a net warming effect that outweighs their cooling. The warming is estimated to be a few percent of CO2’s warming—roughly five times the cooling impact from scattering—though the overall contribution is small compared with fossil fuels and depends on uncertain atmospheric levels of plastic.
- Microplastics absorb heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming — as if they weren't bad enough Live Science
- Worse than soot, scientists concerned over invisible plastics floating in our air Yahoo
- Atmospheric warming contributions from airborne microplastics and nanoplastics Nature
- The Invisible Threat: Climate Change and the Growing Crisis of Microplastics Khmer Times
- Do I Need to Worry About Airborne Microplastics? Time Magazine
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