Climate Change, Crud... and Crises? by Professor Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Poor air quality ("crud") and climate change are closely intertwined through their sources and chemistry. There are decades of studies documenting effects of air pollution on human health and welfare, and an increasing body of research on the impacts of climate change, both of which have been described as crises. Emissions associated with fossil fuel combustion are a common denominator to these issues. While species directly emitted from sources associated with human activities contribute to these phenomena, new species formed in air by reactions of the direct emissions are major players as well. To complicate things further, there is a complex interplay between anthropogenic and natural/biogenic emissions that affect both air quality and climate change. These complexities present some interesting challenges for developing accurate predictions of the future under various control scenarios, and hence choosing the most effective path forward to address both problems. In this context, some interesting unresolved issues that need to be addressed to improve our predictive capability will be highlighted.