AEROSOLS influence the global radiation budget(1), and so changes in the atmospheric aerosol load due to either natural causes or human activity will contribute to climate change(2). A large fraction of the mass of tropospheric aerosol is wind-blown mineral dust, and its contribution to radiative forcing can be locally significant(3,22). Model calculations indicate that 50 +/- 20% of the total atmospheric dust mass originates from disturbed soils(4) (those affected by cultivation, deforestation, erosion, and frequent shifts in vegetation due to droughts and rains),Here, using a radiative transfer model embedded in a general circulation model, we find that dust from disturbed soils causes a decrease of the net surface radiation forcing of about 1 W m(-2), accompanied by increased atmospheric heating that may be a significant forcing of atmospheric dynamics. These findings suggest that mineral dust from disturbed soils needs to be included among the climate forcing factors that are influenced by human activities.