Reducing Black Carbon Emissions: A Win-Win for People and Climate

Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It causes significant respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, contributing to millions of excess deaths annually, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Economically, BC exposure and reliance on unclean cooking fuels cause trillions of dollars in losses. Climatically, BC warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar energy and accelerates ice melt in the Arctic and Himalayas by reducing albedo. The report argues that reducing BC emissions—especially through clean cooking fuels in sub-Saharan Africa and transportation improvements in urban areas—would prevent millions of premature deaths, reduce deforestation, and help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

• Black carbon (BC) significantly increases health risks, specifically cardiovascular disease, and contributes to millions of annual deaths. Exposure to BC can increase cardiovascular disease risk by six to twenty-six times compared to general particulate matter (PM2.5). Globally, particulate matter including BC causes between three and six million excess deaths each year, with BC alone accounting for approximately 35 out of every 1,000 deaths attributed to PM2.5.
• The economic burden of black carbon is severe, particularly due to unclean cooking fuels. The World Bank estimates that reliance on these fuels results in global economic losses exceeding US$2.4 trillion annually. In China, 2017 data shows that short-term BC exposure caused losses of US$7.5 to $13.2 billion, while long-term exposure caused losses between US$53 and $93.2 billion, representing 0.4% to 0.8% of the country's GDP.
• Black carbon accelerates climate warming through solar energy absorption and the reduction of ice albedo. It is estimated to have contributed 0.4°C of the 1.5°C temperature increase in the Arctic between 1976 and 2007. In the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains, BC deposits are responsible for over 50 percent of the acceleration in glacier and snow melt.
• Implementing clean cooking solutions in sub-Saharan Africa would provide substantial health and socio-economic benefits. Such measures could avert approximately 463,000 deaths annually and generate a total net benefit of US$78 billion. Additionally, switching to clean fuels could save households nearly an hour per day, reducing "time poverty" for women and girls.
• Urban transportation is a dominant source of BC, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In cities like Delhi and Nairobi, transportation contributes more than 80% of BC for most months. Reducing these emissions is critical for mitigating morbidity and mortality in rapidly expanding urban areas.

APA

Project Drawdown (n.d.). Reducing Black Carbon Emissions: A Win-Win for People and Climate. https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/a-triple-threat

Chicago

Project Drawdown. Reducing Black Carbon Emissions: A Win-Win for People and Climate. n.d. https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/a-triple-threat.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Project Drawdown |title=Reducing Black Carbon Emissions: A Win-Win for People and Climate |url=https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/a-triple-threat |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{projectdrawdownndreducing, author = {{Project Drawdown}}, title = {{Reducing Black Carbon Emissions: A Win-Win for People and Climate}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, url = {https://drawdown.org/publications/reducing-black-carbon/a-triple-threat}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }