Headings Environmental
Issues Search Questions 
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Environmental Issues.
2) Fossil fuels are burnt on a huge scale - Particles.
The burning of fossil
fuels releases particles into
the air.
These particles (sometimes called
particulates) contain mainly
carbon atoms and come from unburnt
hydrocarbons.
The particles are a pollutant and health
hazard which cause
breathing problems for people who suffer from asthma.
The particles have two
effects on the temperature of
the environment.
High up in the atmosphere they absorb some of the
energy
from the Sun and prevent it from reaching the Earth's surface.
This is called global dimming and has a cooling
effect on the climate.
Scientists have evidence that particles in the atmosphere have
this effect.
Big volcanoes erupting in the past
have put a lot of particles high up
into the atmosphere and have had a global
cooling effect.
The particles also cause an increase in the rate
of water vapour
in the
atmosphere condensing to form clouds.
Clouds reflect some of the
Sun's energy back into space.
An increase in the rate of cloud
formation also has a cooling
effect.
The cooling
effect from particles in the
atmosphere is small
compared to the effect of global warming
from burning fossil fuels.
The particles eventually fall out of the atmosphere
back down to the ground and make
surfaces darker.
Headings Environmental
Issues Search Questions
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