Climate change Orroral Valley Wildfire Fire

A recent research study conducted by UC Riverside has revealed the negative impact of increasing global temperatures on plant emissions and dust. The study suggests that if temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius, harmful plant emissions and dust may increase by up to 14% which will make it harder for humans to breathe.

Plant BVOCs

All plants produce biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are harmless by themselves. However, when they react with oxygen, they produce organic aerosols. Inhaling these aerosols can cause health issues such as childhood asthma, infant mortality, heart disease, and lung cancer in adults. BVOC production in plants increases due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperatures, both of which are projected to continue increasing.

The study explicitly focuses on natural sources of air pollution, excluding human-made sources that other studies have already predicted. The study’s lead author, James Gomez, stated that human emissions of air pollution could be controlled by regulating what humans emit. However, air pollution from natural sources such as plants or dust cannot be controlled as easily.

Dust from the Saharan desert

Dust from the Saharan desert is the second-largest contributor to future air pollution, according to the study. As the climate warms, the amount of dust from the Sahara desert will increase due to increased winds. This dust is likely to be blown around the world, with higher dust levels in Africa, the eastern U.S., and the Caribbean.

PM2.5 pollutants increase in direct proportion to CO2 levels

And there’s more than just BVOCs and desert sand to worry about. Both organic aerosols, dust, sea salt, black carbon, and sulfate are airborne pollutants categorized as PM2.5, with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. In the study, the increase in naturally sourced PM2.5 pollution increased in direct proportion to CO2 levels.

The study is focused on human health impacts over land. The researchers warn that without decreasing CO2 emissions, temperatures may increase by 4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, which could happen sooner than expected. The study’s results may even be conservative as they did not include climate-dependent changes in wildfire emissions as a factor.

According to Gomez, CO2 emissions need to drop sharply to improve air quality. The study also suggests that if the climate warms by only 2 degrees Celsius, there will be only a 7% increase in PM2.5, so even reduced levels of CO2 will help.