Defenestrating Thoughts from the Bivouac

I came across an interesting article from NASA about how aerosols partly contribute to arctic warming and this passage jumped out at me:

Sulfates, which come primarily from the burning of coal and oil, scatter incoming solar radiation and have a net cooling effect on climate. Over the past three decades, the United States and European countries have passed a series of laws that have reduced sulfate emissions by 50 percent. While improving air quality and aiding public health, the result has been less atmospheric cooling from sulfates.

How weird is that? I guess it just goes to show how important the Law of Unintended Consequences is when we’re trying to control complex systems.

Reminds me of what Henry Hazlitt said about economics (which is pretty applicable to every field):

The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.