This article is a stub. Please help Climate Lab by expanding it. (April 2010)

Black Carbon is formed through the incomplete  combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass and is emitted from both anthropogenic and naturally occurring sources.  It is a potent climate forcing agent and is considered to be the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide.  

Black carbon is primarily produced when biomass is burned for  cooking, coal is combusted for electricity, and through emissions from diesel engines.  Unlike carbon dioxide, which intensifies the greenhouse effect, black carbon absorbs sunlight as it is radiated from space and directly heats the atmosphere¹ .  It typically remains in the atmosphere for two to three weeks before it falls to the ground, blackening snow and ice and accelerating their melting process due to the reduced ability to reflect sunlight² . A study by Nature Geoscience names black carbon as the sole factor responsible for rising temperatures in the arctic from 1890 to 2007, which has seen a 1.9 degree Celsius increase in temperature³ .  

Due to its short lifespan in the atmosphere, a reduction in black carbon would have an immediate payoff.  Reducing black carbon is a relatively quick and easy fix using existing technology - emissions can be curbed by reducing deforestation, updating diesel filters in cars, and replacing biomass burning stoves with ones that are powered by natural gas or solar power⁴ .