Heat of the moment

DUST,    'is it also linked to global warming and heat trapping ?'

This question appeared in the last blog, along with an off the cuff retort.

 Actually I didn't know the answer  and hadn't looked it up, hence the question mark . A friend wrote to me and in fact, although it is an atmospheric pollutant that definitely  does cause human disease,  that appears to be is the limit of its problem. It is more linked with global cooling than warming. The relative balance of  effects  reflection of sunlight  back into space and absorption of sunlight and warming comes down in balance of a small global cooling. Not a dramatic effect but certainly not a villain. The problem lies elsewhere  with greenhouse gasses CO2 etc. and not with atmospheric particles. Sorry for any confusion.

An interesting lesson to me, I'll be more careful not to make less than fully researched remarks, and won't use  question marks  to cover myself any more.

Mark