Brown Clouds Threaten World’s Food, Health
The world’s food supplies and health are being threatened by thick brown clouds of soot, particles and chemicals that stretch from the Persian Gulf to Asia, according to a U.N. report.
Known as atmospheric brown clouds, the regional haze contributes to glacial melting, reduced sunlight and helps create extreme weather conditions, impacting agricultural production. The clouds have already reduced the amount of light by as much as 25 per cent in 13 megacities in Asia, including Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Cairo, Mumbai and New Delhi.
The report notes the cause of these huge plumes is the burning of fossil fuels, wood and plants. In addition, the brown clouds play a significant role in exacerbating the effects of greenhouse gases in warming up the earth’s atmosphere, the report adds.
The pollution clouds have lead to a steady melting of the Himalayan glaciers and have helped to reduce the monsoon season in India. The weather extremes caused by these clouds may have also played a role in reduced production of such key crops as rice, wheat and soybean.
The U.N. report concludes that these cloud masses can move across continents within three to four days, making this phenomenon a global concern.
