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♤ Black carbon (BC) is a solid particle or aerosol, (though not a gas) contributes to warming of the atmosphere.
♤ Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is a form of particulate air pollutant, produced from incomplete combustion. It consists of pure carbon in several linked forms.
Source
♤ biomass burning,
♤ cooking with solid fuels, and
♤ diesel exhaust,etc.
What does BC do?
♤ Black carbon warms the Earth by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and by reducing albedo, (the ability to reflect sunlight) when deposited on snow and ice.
♤ BC is the strongest absorber of sunlight and heats the air directly. In addition, it darkens snow packs and glaciers through deposition and leads to melting of ice and snow.
♤ Regionally, BC disrupts cloudiness and monsoon rainfall and accelerates melting of mountain glaciers such as the Hindu Kush-Himalayan glaciers.
Life time
♤ Black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only several days to weeks.
♤ Thus the effects of BC on the atmospheric warming and glacier retreat disappear within months of reducing emissions.
How far India contributes to globe?
♤ According to estimates, between 25 and 35 percent of black carbon in the global atmosphere comes from China and India, emitted from the burning of wood and cow dung in household cooking and through the use of coal to heat homes.
Government Measures
♤ Project Surya has been launched to reduce black carbon in atmosphere by introducing efficient stove technologies, solar cookers, solar lamps and biogas plants.