Or… What If They Just Uncover Our Previous Messes?
This article is part of our 4-part mini-series exploring the hidden ripple effects of sulfur reduction in shipping. Read Part 2 → When Cleaner Isn’t Simpler: Why Fixing One Problem Might Create Another
When we talk about environmental “fixes,” we usually assume they’ll solve problems, not reveal deeper ones.
But what if some of our greenest actions aren’t backfiring at all?
What if they’re simply removing the mask—and finally showing us the full extent of the damage that’s been there all along?
The Curious Case of Sulfur
As we explored in Part 1 and Part 2, the 2020 global mandate to drastically reduce sulfur emissions from shipping fuel was presented as a clear-cut win: cleaner air, healthier lungs, fewer acid rains.
But that well-intentioned regulation led to an unexpected outcome—a sharp drop in lightning strikes over major ocean shipping routes. Not because the skies became calmer, but because they became cleaner.
Sulfur had been quietly influencing the skies all along, seeding clouds through aerosol particles that helped shape storm systems and electrical activity. By scrubbing sulfur from the air, we didn’t just clean it—we altered it.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Was Sulfur Hiding Something Bigger?
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and other industrial aerosols don’t just affect lightning. They reflect sunlight and help cool the planet by increasing cloud cover and Earth’s albedo (its ability to reflect solar radiation).
This phenomenon—known as “global dimming”—has been masking a portion of the warming caused by greenhouse gases for decades.
In short:
As we warmed the planet with CO₂, sulfur emissions from the same fossil fuels created a kind of crude, accidental air-conditioning system.
By removing sulfur, we didn’t create a new problem—we simply revealed the old one. The warming that had been quietly building behind the scenes is now coming into full view.
A Delayed Crisis
Here’s the paradox:
- If fossil fuels had released only CO₂, without sulfur, we might’ve seen much stronger warming earlier in history—perhaps even before the 20th century.
- But because we released both CO₂ and sulfur, the cooling effect of the aerosols delayed the visible symptoms of the warming.
Which means:
The climate crisis we’re facing today isn’t new—it’s just been partially hidden by pollution we’ve only recently decided to remove.
The moment we cleaned up the air, nature began showing us what had been accumulating all along.
Backfire or Backtrack?
It’s tempting to view this as a solution gone wrong—but maybe that’s not quite right.
The sulfur regulations didn’t backfire. They peeled away the disguise.
The cleaner skies didn’t cause climate change—they stopped concealing it.
And that subtle difference matters, because it changes the story from:
“Oops, maybe we shouldn’t have done that…”
to
“Now we finally see what we’ve done.”
A Broader Pattern
This story isn’t just about lightning. It’s about how we interpret change, and how we sometimes misread the effects of our past actions as new problems.
We’re used to thinking of environmental action as a straight line between cause and effect. But more often, we’re trying to untangle a web we’ve been spinning for centuries.
And when things shift—when skies clear, or storms fade, or patterns break—we rush to ask, “What went wrong?”
Maybe the better question is:
“What did we stop masking?”
So What Now?
Recognizing that our previous pollution was hiding some of the warming doesn’t mean we stop cleaning the air. It means we start facing the full picture—and preparing for what’s been there all along.
This is a chance to reframe how we think about progress. Not as a fix that prevents disruption—but as a deeper reckoning with the long shadow of industrial choices.
We’re not just solving problems—we’re uncovering them.
And that’s okay—if we’re willing to see clearly and act wisely.
Coming Up Next:
In Part 4, we zoom out one last time to ask:
“We Meant Well—But Did We Forget to Ask the Right Questions?”
We’ll explore how even our most well-intentioned decisions can mislead us when we focus on symptoms instead of systems.
This is Part 3 of a 4-part series on the surprising environmental effects of sulfur regulation and what it reveals about our approach to climate solutions.
In this series:
- ✅ The Law of Unintended Consequences
- ✅ When Cleaner Isn’t Simpler
- ✅ What If Our Environmental Fixes Backfire? You are here!
- ✅ We Meant Well: But Did We Forget to Ask the Right Questions?
🔎 Bonus: From Lead to BTEX – Did We Trade One Toxin for Another?
Further Reading: The Law of Unintended Consequences
International Maritime Organization – “IMO 2020 – Cutting Sulphur Oxide Emissions”
🌍 Global regulations to reduce sulfur emissions from ships
URL: https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/pages/34-IMO-2020-sulphur-limit-.aspx
This IMO press briefing details the implementation of the 2020 global sulfur cap, aimed at reducing sulfur oxide emissions from ships to improve air quality and protect the environment.
Lightning Declines Over Shipping Lanes Following Regulation of Fuel Sulfur Emissions
⚡ Investigating the link between sulfur regulations and lightning activity
URL: https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/2937/2025/
This study examines how the 2020 global sulfur cap on ship fuels led to a noticeable decrease in lightning over major shipping routes, highlighting the complex interactions between human activities and atmospheric phenomena.
NASA Earth Observatory – “Ship Tracks”
🧭 How ship emissions affect cloud formation and weather
URL: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/ShipTracks
This NASA explainer dives into the phenomenon of “ship tracks”—long clouds formed by the particles in ship exhaust—and their effect on sunlight reflection and cloud behavior.
Sulfur Cycle – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
🌎 The sulfur cycle in aquatic systems is indirectly important to ecosystem productivity
URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/sulfur-cycle
This resource provides an in-depth look at the sulfur cycle, including the effects of human activities such as the production of acid rain.
Climate of Our Future – “Sulfur Dioxide Effects on Environment”
🌿 The environmental toll of SO₂ emissions
URL: https://www.climateofourfuture.org/sulfur-dioxide-effects-on-environment/
This article explores three major environmental impacts of sulfur dioxide—plant damage, acid rain, and haze—highlighting the need for cleaner energy sources and stricter emission controls.
Books:
The following book is linked to Amazon.com for your convenience. If you decide to purchase through this link, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
Fundamentals of Geobiology [amazon.com]
Editors: Andrew H. Knoll, Don E. Canfield, Kurt O. Konhauser
Description: This work examines the interactions between the biosphere and the geosphere, discussing cycles such as the sulfur cycle and their role in Earth’s history.
Image Acknowledgement
We’re grateful to the talented photographers and designers on Unsplash for providing beautiful, free-to-use images. The image on this page is by Olga Gryb. Check out their work here: https://unsplash.com/@grybdesigns/illustrations.
