Could the Earth become warmer if we increase our use of clean energy too?

Question

According to Geophysical Research Letters, the Earth warmed half a degree last year due to reduced soot and sulfate particles. This was due to the pandemix quarantines. [Study Here](https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2020GL091805)

So I’m genuinely asking: could increasing clean energy also cause global warming? Are we in a lose/lose situation?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

The trivial answer is yes. Increasing clean energy WITHOUT reducing the use of dirty energy will almost certainly not reduce global warming.

The climate is complex and decades of the damage already done will not be undone quickly. Clean energy is certainly the largest component of the action needed but we may be at the point where there may need to be significant investment into “negative carbon footprint” technologies. Don’t forget that much of the world’s population and energy growth will be in the less developed countries in the coming decades.