# 3 Radiative forcings – cooling temperatures

So what of Step 3 of the whodunnit: the red herrings? These are the factors that may confuse your global climate data.

You will start by looking at two major cooling forcings – industrial sulfates and volcanic sulfates. Both of these act to decrease energy because they reflect energy from the Sun back out into space. So, as they increase, their effect is to reduce GMST.

OpenLearn - Could we control our climate?
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