Demonstrating the Causal Impact of Air Pollution on Climate Change

Demonstrating the causal impact of air pollution on climate change lies in the need to inform effective policy measures to mitigate global warming. Air pollutants such as greenhouse gases and aerosols significantly influence Earth’s climate systems, affecting temperature, weather patterns, and sea levels. Establishing causality helps prioritize targeted interventions and enhances understanding of human contributions to climate change, ultimately guiding international climate agreements and regulations.

However, demonstrating causality presents several challenges. The complex interplay of multiple pollutants, natural variability, and feedback mechanisms complicates causal inference. Long-term data collection is required, yet it is often limited by measurement uncertainties. Moreover, distinguishing the direct effects of specific pollutants from confounding environmental factors demands sophisticated statistical and modeling approaches. These challenges make it difficult to conclusively attribute climate changes solely to air pollution, underscoring the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary research.

This Research Topic (RT) aims to advance the scientific understanding of the causal relationship between air pollution and climate change by soliciting rigorous research, innovative methodologies, and comprehensive case studies. It seeks to foster contributions that demonstrate, with scientific rigor, how specific pollutants influence climate dynamics, and to develop and refine approaches for establishing causality in this complex domain. Additionally, the RT encourages discussions on multidisciplinary strategies — integrating observational data, modeling, experimental studies, and statistical methods — that can effectively overcome existing challenges. By aggregating cutting-edge research, the RT aspires to inform policy, enhance predictive climate models, and promote targeted mitigation strategies, ultimately contributing to a clearer scientific consensus on the role of air pollution in driving climate change.

This Research Topic welcomes papers applying diverse, robust approaches to demonstrate the causal impact of air pollution on climate change. Submissions should focus on identifying relevant pollutants such as greenhouse gases (e.g., CO₂, methane) and aerosols (e.g., black carbon, sulfate particles), alongside key climate variables like temperature, precipitation, ice melt, and sea level rise. Contributions may analyze long-term observational data from satellites, ground stations, and climate models to correlate pollutant fluctuations with climate trends. Studies employing natural experiments, controlled regional experiments, and atmospheric chemistry insights are encouraged. Additionally, papers applying climate modeling (GCMs), causal inference techniques (e.g., CCM), source apportionment, and validation across multiple evidence streams are particularly relevant. The goal is to enhance understanding of causality through comprehensive, interdisciplinary research that integrates empirical, experimental, and modeling methods.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Greenhouse gases and aerosols, long-term observational datasets, controlled and natural experiments, climate models, causal inference techniques, emission sources, cross-validate results

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.