this is incoherent. aerosols are generally thought to produce a cooling effect. the article only makes sense if it's talking about soot, but it clearly isn't. a decrease in aerosols should lead to an increase in global temperatures.

i have a theory that the pause is related to the increase in warfare that's happened since 2001.

http://phys.org/news/2013-11-ozone-pact-cool-planet.html

(very mild nuclear winter, basically)

they were using extremely powerful conventional bombs in iraq, and they've been blowing up mountains in afghanistan. it's hard to think this has not had an effect on the atmosphere.