Scientists have been sounding the alarm bells concerning climate change for years, and while significant global progress has been made, there is still a long way to go when it comes to protecting the environment.

There are many different types of pollution that gets emitted into the atmosphere, much of which contributes to the greenhouse effect, resulting in warmer global temperatures.

According to many scientists, however, some of these pollutants may also have an unexpected impact. Cooling the planet.

While on the surface this may sound like a good thing, it is actually very concerning.

Some of the airport particles and aerosols that humans have generated make their way up into the clouds and upper atmosphere. From there, they reflect some of the sunlight away from the Earth, thus removing a certain amount of heat from the environment.

The problem is, the reflective nature of these pollutants is only active as long as it remains in the air. Over the past decades, the burning of fossil fuels and other polluting actions have served to keep their levels high.

As governments continue to innact regulations on various industries, however, the amount of this type of pollution will drop, allowing the temperatures to climb.

Zeke Hausfather, a client scientist from the University of California, Berkeley, recently talked with The Washington Post, and talked about how much the reflected heat from these pollutants could have:

“We’re starting from an area of deep, deep uncertainty. It could be a full degree of cooling being masked.”

One of the biggest contributors to this type of pollution has long been from the shipping industry. Large cargo ships use fuels that emit sulfur and other contaminants into the environment.

In recent years, regulatory agencies and technological advancements have allowed the industry to start shifting to much cleaner alternatives.

This is great news for the environment long-term, but in the shorter term (which could be decades or longer), it could result in a more rapid climb in global temperature.

Further study is being done on this situation, but if these pollutants have been unnaturally suppressing the global temperature, it could result in passing the 2-degree Celsius rise in temperature that many experts have long feared.

This is just one more example of how complex the environment is and how important immediate action is required.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.