CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Aerosols
Aerosols are less well-known than greenhouse gases. Aerosols are dust particles which, in addition to CO2, are released into the atmosphere in large quantities when wood and fossil fuels are burned. Some aerosols have a cooling effect on the climate, others have a warming effect. On balance they have a cooling rather than a warming effect, but no-one can give a clear idea of the magnitude, because we still do not understand how aerosols influence the occurrence and characteristics of clouds.
Natural phenomena, greenhouse gases and aerosols create an imbalance in the incoming and outgoing radiation in the atmosphere. This process is known as Radiative forcing. When the earth heats-up, the short-wave radiation from the sun that enters the atmosphere is greater than the long-waves radiation that exists the atmosphere. The temperature changes on Earth will not stop until the radiation balance is restored. Given the immense capacity of oceans to absorb heat, it will take a long time to strike a new balance.
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