The question of whether global warming is accelerating is hotly contested among climate scientists. While some have argued that the current rate of warming — which hit an all-time high last year — is strictly correlated with increased fossil fuel emissions and therefore aligned with current climate models, others have cautioned that the Earth is far more sensitive to fossil fuels than previously thought and that humanity is hurtling toward tipping points from which there can be no return.
In a recent study, a group of researchers from the University of Melbourne complicated this debate with an analysis of warming rates across the globe and possible causes for regional differences. Their principal finding: The globe is getting hotter at a faster rate, but this acceleration is occurring unevenly. Surprisingly, densely populated areas with large concentrations of poverty — megacities like Cairo and Mumbai — are warming more slowly than urban centers in Europe and North America. Why? The researchers found that the large quantity of aerosol particles in the air of highly polluted cities reflect sunlight back ... Read more
