Dear Colleagues, Thank you all again for your many suggested edits!
The main body of our , I think, much improved, letter is copied below: An Open Letter to the IMO Supporting the Utilization of Ship Fuels that Cool the Atmosphere While Preserving Air Quality Benefits November 12, 2023 We are in a global warming emergency that is being exacerbated by a rapid decline in anthropogenically caused atmospheric aerosol loading (Hansen et al, 2023). Recently Implemented (2015 and 2020) International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations on bunker-fuel sulfur content are an important contributor to these reduced aerosol loadings and high sea surface temperatures (Hansen, 2023b; Hansen et al., 2023; WMO, 2014, 2023). Numerous studies have suggested that these reduced aerosol loadings have and will significantly increase global warming (Hansen et al., 2023; Diamond, 2023; Voosen, 2023; Hausfather & Forester, 2023; Yuan et al., 2022; Bilsback et al., 2020; Jin et al., 2018; Sofiev et al., 2018; Partanen et al., 2013; Fuglestvedt et al., 2009; Lauer et al., 2007). Higher sea surface temperatures have been implicated in the intensification of extreme flooding worldwide and in the dying of an estimated 19 percent of coral reefs globally since 2009 (Aumann & Wang, 2018; UNEP, 2021). This suggests the need to reconsider refinement of the regulations. Following Partenan et al (2013), it may be possible to offset the global warming harm of these regulations by temporarily relaxing them for “high seas” sulfur emissions (i.e., far from ports and population centers) while largely preserving air quality benefits in ports and coastal areas. It may also be possible to increase the cooling effect of shipping emissions while preserving or enhancing air quality by including benign tropospheric aerosol precursors in existing and future non-GHG, or net-zero GHG emitting, maritime fuels (Baiman et al., 2023). We therefore ask that the International Maritime Organization and other international and national health and environmental organizations urgently support and sponsor research, pilot testing and emergency regulations, that would: 1) Partially relax the IMO’s maritime bunker fuel sulfur emissions regulation for “high seas” maritime transport in ways that - as much as possible-- would increase the global cooling benefits of sulfur or similar aerosols without causing harm to humans or natural systems, and 2) Require that benign tropospheric aerosol precursors such as sea water (referred to as the “marine cloud brightening method”) or other possible tropospheric aerosols (referred to as the “climate catalysts method”) that would create the global cooling benefits of sulfur aerosols without - as much as possible - causing harm to humans or natural systems be included in existing fuel, and in future non-GHG and net-zero GHG emitting fuel (Baiman et al., 2023). The full letter, including a 6 page Technical Addendum, can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WNsRI8GbyZgdso39ptKuKFI2HA6ZuBni/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116465941111195452408&rtpof=true&sd=true *Please review it and contact Ron Baiman at: [email protected] <[email protected]> (cc'd above) if you'd like to sign it.* Needless to say, we're hoping for a large number of signatures and would like to get it to the IMO and other relevant organizations as soon as possible! *Please also send this letter to colleagues who may be interested in signing it, and publicize it and invite people to sign in other relevant forums or social media.* The letter and signature solicitation will be posted on the HPAC, and hopefully other, websites. Best, Ron -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAPhUB9CAJfcMSe-NvVfL1DNR1CekmXknH7smHGsLgRz0Pw_9%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com.
