Public Radio International (Oct. 1) -- Scientists believe black carbon -- the stuff that comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and diesel as well as forest fires and cooking stoves -- is second only to carbon dioxide as a contributor to climate change. “Like most other particles, it floats through the atmosphere, it interacts with clouds, and because it’s black it absorbs sunlight,” says Tami Bond, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Illinois who recently was named a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award.