A new study on the role of black carbon in global warming has been released by environment assessment specialists Atlantic Consulting. The study offers a scientific review of the often overlooked role that black carbon plays in global warming and considers the impacts of a number of common fuels, including LPG.

The Facts

• Emerging science suggests that black carbon is responsible for around 16% of climate change globally.

• Black carbon is commonly referred to as soot and is the result of low-temperature or incomplete combustion. Picture a fireplace, a burnt field or forest, or the dark residue in a boiler's firing chamber.

• Black carbon affects the climate in three ways: it abosrbs sunlight and radiates it back to the atmosphere as heat; it affects rainfall patterns; and when it settles back on the earth's surface, it can increase the melting rate of ice and snow, particularly in polar regions.

For more information please read the Full Report.