Since 1986 Cities Have Warmed Due To Rising Solar Surface Forcing

The globe’s cities are warming primarily due to declining albedo, not CO2 ‘radiative forcing’.

According to a comprehensive new study published in Remote Sensing of Environment, CO2 fertilization has led to an enhanced greening trend in 72.6 percent of cities across the world since 1985, accelerating to 89.2 percent since 2001.

Per the authors, this greening trend is the key factor lowering the albedo-reflecting incoming solar radiation in urban areas, amounting to a +2.76 W/m² increase in solar radiation reaching the surface from 1986-2020.

In contrast, the clear-sky-only trend from CO2 ‘surface forcing’ only amounts to 0.2 W/m² per decade (22 ppm), or 0.02 W/m² per year, in the 21st century. (This trend only represents the ‘forcing’ from CO2 in an imaginary world where no clouds exist.)

Thus, the positive radiative imbalance from the declining trend in albedo explains urban warming far better than an ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’ from a clear-sky-only CO2 ‘radiative forcing’.

Image Source: Wu et al., 2024

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Comments (2)

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    Kevin Doyle

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    Umm, why doesn’t someone display the difference in radiative heat transfer from an object emitting heat in an environment full of CO2 at gas contents 0.003-0.004 percent?
    I’m certain this would be laughable, and immeasurable…

    Reply

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    Kevin Doyle

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    This entire subject is laughably absurd! This is the biggest grift and falsehood ever perpetrated upon human beings!

    Reply

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