Tackling air pollutants for long-lasting climate benefits

Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are chemicals that remain in the atmosphere for only a few days or a few decades at the most. They include black carbon particles (or soot, emitted from wood fires, for example) methane (from oil and gas production and municipal waste) and tropospheric ozone (from motor vehicles). In addition to being powerful greenhouse gases, these are dangerous air pollutants, with various detrimental impacts on human health, agriculture and ecosystems. Yet, there is little public awareness of the threat these chemicals pose. Actions to reduce SLCPs might be the only way to slow down global and regional warming in the short term (10-30 years) and, at the same time, provide immediate air quality benefits. In this chapter, the author provides examples of initiatives underway to tackle these pollutants and, at the same time, bring benefits to developing countries. Many of these measures are low-cost, with initial investments offset by subsequent cost savings, for example, from reduced fuel use or harnessing of recovered methane. Global action is needed to raise awareness, enable and encourage national and regional initiatives, and support the widespread implementation of SLCP control measures. In March 2012, Sweden, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico and the United States launched the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a global partnership to help developing countries scale up their efforts to combat SLCPs.