Not all the effects of high-flying dust are bad. It is not “pollution”
in any real sense, and it is an ancient natural phenomenon. Although
the dust particles present respiratory challenges exemplified by those
public health warnings, Goddard also notes that transported dust “can
be a vital nutrient source for both the oceans and terrestrial ecosys-
tems.” Iron in the dust nourishes iron-deficient oceanic regions. In a
remarkable example of our holistic Earth at work, Saharan dust feeds
the canopy of the Central and South American rain forest.
These effects are part of an amazing cycle. In colder periods of
Earth’s history, deserts expand, creating larger dust storms and more
transportation. This increases iron levels in the ocean, aiding aquatic
photosynthesis and absorbing more atmospheric carbon dioxide. The
result is longer cool periods.
The late oceanographer John Martin hypothesized that global
warming could be reversed by dumping iron in the world’s seas. “Give
me a half tanker of iron, and I will give you an ice age,” he said. By
strategically sprinkling iron in high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll zones, he
said, algae blooms would be created that would take in enough carbon
dioxide to reverse the greenhouse effect and cool the planet.
There are other, less-novel solutions to solving Asia’s pollution cri-
sis. Even as its forest fires raged in 2001, Indonesia hosted a four-
nation summit on reducing the fires, which are often set deliberately
by farmers to clear land in preparation for planting. “There are solu-
tions,” Dr. David Viner of the Climatic Research Unit at the University
of East Anglia told the BBC. “Stop burning the forests, switch to less-
polluting fuels, and introduce clean air technology, like scrubbers on
power station chimneys. They’re simple to work out. Unfortunately,
they’re rather more difficult to implement.” Professor Ramanathan
agrees. “We need fewer SUVs and more fuel-efficient cars,” he says.
When politicians read hair-raising stories about global warming, their
tendency is to shoot the messenger, and so it proved in India. Professor
Ramanathan’s studies of the Asian brown cloud were made public in
the summer of 2002, and they set off their own storm cloud. Indian
politicians were particularly incensed that their country was being sin-
gled out as a culprit. India’s Environment and Forests minister, T. R.
Asia 91