© 2002 Eugene S. Takle
A cloud of pollutant material has developed across South Asia that is so thick and expansive that it is causing damage to agriculture, weather patterns, and human health for the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. A United Nations Environment Programme indicates that this mixture of haze, ash, and acid particles from burning fossil fuels and agricultural materials is estimated to have caused 37,000 premature deaths per year in the mid 1990s. By blocking solar radiation to the ocean surface, the cloud may be reducing evaporation and contributing to disruption of the monsoon system causing large-scale changes in patterns of drought and flooding. The report was compiled by a team of some 200 scientists.
Reference
United Nations Environment Programme, 2002: Regional and global impacts of vast pollution cloud detailed in new scientific study.