A new study by NASA scientists has revealed that implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, improve health and boost agricultural production

The researchers suggest that, by controlling the release of black carbon and methane into the atmosphere, global warming could be slowed by 0.5^oC by 2050. The findings were published in the journal Science. Drew Shindell, of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, said the moves would also result in an increase in global crop yields of up to 135 million metric tons per season, preventing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year.

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"We've shown that implementing specific practical emissions reductions chosen to maximize climate benefits would also have important 'win-win' benefits for human health and agriculture," said Shindell, following the study’s publication.

 The international team behind the study initially looked at 400 different measures to curb carbon or methane emissions, which affect human and plant health and accelerate climate change, eventually focusing on 14 measures with the greatest climate benefit. The small particles of black carbon, released by burning fossil fuels and biomass, absorb radiation from the sun causing the atmosphere to warm and rainfall patterns to shift. They also darken ice and snow, reducing their reflectivity and hastening global warming. Methane, from natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas and can lead to the creation of ozone gas.

According to the team, if implemented, their recommended measures would provide the greatest protection against global warming to Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, countries with large areas of snow or ice cover. Iran, Pakistan and Jordan would experience the most improvement in agricultural production. Southern Asia and the Sahel region of Africa would see the most beneficial changes rain patterns.

The south Asian countries of India, Bangladesh and Nepal would see the biggest reductions in premature deaths; the study estimates that around the world, between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths could be prevented each year.

The measures recommended by the scientists for reducing methane include capturing gas escaping from coal mines and oil and natural gas facilities, as well as reducing leakage from long-distance pipelines, preventing emissions from city landfills, updating wastewater treatment plants, aerating rice paddies more, and limiting emissions from manure on farms.

For black carbon, they include installing filters in diesel vehicles, keeping high-emitting vehicles off the road, upgrading cooking stoves and boilers to cleaner burning types, installing more efficient kilns for brick production, upgrading coke ovens and banning agricultural burning.

Mr Shindell, who led the research, was hopeful about the outcomes of the research. He said, "Protecting public health and food supplies may take precedence over avoiding climate change in most countries, but knowing that these measures also mitigate climate change may help motivate policies to put them into practice.”

The NASA recommendations echo in part similar recommendations made by groups including the UN food and Agriculture Organisation and UN Environment Program, in which Shindell also played a part.

A slideshow detailing the 14 measures recommended by NASA’s scientists is available here.

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