Air pollution is a serious environmental-health issue. Children can learn what it is, where it comes from and how exposure can be reduced without being taught that every breath is dangerous or that nothing can be done.
Black carbon is a dark particle produced by incomplete combustion. It is part of air pollution and can also warm the atmosphere and darken snow and ice, making it an unusually clear example of how environmental problems can connect.
The evidence that air pollution harms human health is extensive. Applying that evidence to a particular source, facility or community still requires careful analysis of emissions, ambient concentration, exposure and attribution.
Air pollution and climate change share sources and sometimes share pollutants, but they are different environmental problems. Good policy and good science recognise the overlap without confusing their causes, pathways or consequences.
Black carbon sits at an important intersection between air pollution and climate. It is produced by incomplete combustion, contributes to particulate pollution, absorbs solar energy in the atmosphere and can accelerate melting when deposited on snow and ice.