Could Clean Air Be A Leading Cause Of Global Warming?

Okay, all you enviros out there get ready to shriek in disbelief in 1, 2, 3….
According to New Scientist magazine it sure looks like it:

GOODBYE air pollution and smoky chimneys, hello brighter days. That’s been the trend in Europe for the past three decades – but unfortunately cleaning up the skies has allowed more of the sun’s rays to pierce the atmosphere, contributing to at least half the warming that has occurred.
Since 1980, average air temperatures in Europe have risen 1 °C: much more than expected from greenhouse-gas warming alone. Christian Ruckstuhl of the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Switzerland and colleagues took aerosol concentrations from six locations in northern Europe, measured between 1986 and 2005, and compared them with solar-radiation measurements over the same period. Aerosol concentrations dropped by up to 60 per cent over the 29-year period, while solar radiation rose by around 1 watt per square metre….

Well now, there’s a moral dilemna for you. If we go back to eating roots and berries and living in pre-industrial all natural bliss, one with nature and all that, we might end up with a warmer planet than if we just went ahead and enjoyed ourselves.
We needn’t worry, though. Al Gore and his politician pals, along with the Hollywood crowd who preach that we should all reduce our carbon footprint, will keep pumping plenty of stuff into the atmosphere with their jets and mega-mansion lifestyles. We’re safe.
Speaking for myself, I like my carbon footprint and have absolutely no intention of changing anything. Selfish of me, isn’t it? The great news is – now I don’t have to feel guilty about it.
Not that I ever did.