China’s Air Quality reveals unexpected Climate Effects

In recent years, China has significantly reduced air pollution, particularly by cutting sulfur dioxide emissions from coal power plants. This has led to major improvements in air quality and saved millions of lives. However, there’s an unexpected downside: sulfur dioxide contributes to the formation of aerosols that reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the climate. When this “shield” is removed, the full warming effect of greenhouse gases becomes more visible—a process known as "unmasking." Since 2014, average temperatures in China have risen by about 0.7 °C, contributing to more intense heatwaves.

Developments like these highlight just how critical accurate environmental monitoring is for understanding the complex relationship between air quality and climate change. 

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Devices for air quality monitoring: DL-PM, DL-LP8P