Global atmospheric impacts of residential fuels

The impacts of increased pollutant concentration may affect the behavior of the Earth-atmosphere system. In particular, large-scale changes in atmospheric composition are associated with changes in the Earth's radiative balance and climatic change. In this paper, we describe the various substances that are important, and examine emissions of air pollutants from residential fuels in relation to emissions from other sources. Using a global simulation of pollutant transport, we also estimate atmospheric concentrations of one pollutant, carbon particles, and identify regions in which residential fuels contribute greatly to the atmospheric aerosol. Finally, we compare total emissions from a variety of residential end-use technologies and estimate their effect on the radiative balance, with the implication that improvements could lead to a cleaner atmosphere on scales that are much larger than typically considered.