New Initiatives Assessed for Fast and Scaled-up Action on Black Carbon, Methane,
and HFCs
The initiatives, which mark the beginning of the implementation phase of the
new Climate and Clean Air Coalition, will fast track momentum towards reducing
black carbon or 'soot', methane and a range of fluorinated gases called
HFCs.
Further momentum was catalyzed with the announcements of Colombia, Japan,
Nigeria, Norway and the European Commission that they are joining the Coalition
along with the World Bank.
It brings to 13 the number of partners who have joined, expanding the initial
membership founded by Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United
States and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Coalition was launched on February 16 at an event hosted by US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton.
Five other countries-Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Republic of Korea and
the United Kingdom along with delegates from the private sector -also attended
as observers at this week's meeting to learn first-hand the Coalition's
plans.
More than 10 years of scientific research and assessment indicates that
substances such as black carbon or 'soot' and methane are triggering
wide-ranging health, climate and crop-damaging impacts.
Introducing cost effective and environmentally-friendly alternatives to
fluorinated gases known as HFCs are also part of the Coalition's aims as a
result of their high potential to impact climate change if widely taken up over
the coming years.
Fast action to reduce short lived climate pollutants can have a direct impact
on climate change with the potential to reduce warming by up to 0.5 degrees
Celsius by 2050 and help keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees
Celsius.
Reductions of SLCPs would also allow for addressing rapid melting in the
Arctic and in mountain regions with glaciers, like the Himalayas.
By around 2030, fast action can potentially prevent millions of premature
deaths from for example inhalation of black carbon while avoiding an estimated
30 million tonnes of crop losses.
The Coalition emphasizes that the climate benefits need to be backed by cuts
in other greenhouse gases including C02 if temperature increases over the 21st
century are to be held below 2 degrees C.
However, addressing near term warming from SLCPs may be crucial to avoid the
most serious impacts over the coming decades.
The announcement of new national partners was made today at the end of the
first Ministerial meeting of the Coalition which has been taking place in
parallel with Stockholm+40-a conference marking four decades after the UN
Conference on the Human Environment which took place in the Swedish capital in
1972.
The meeting and conference also comes in advance of Rio+20-two decades after
the 1992 Earth Summit that set the course for contemporary sustainable
development.
Lena Ek, the Swedish Environment Minister, said today: "Sweden is committed
to continue working actively with this important coalition. Furthermore we are
happy to announce our contribution to the Coalition Trust Fund with 1.4 MSEK for
the UNEP Secretariat and 10 MSEK to concrete projects".
11.4 million Swedish Krona is around $1.7 million.
Assessment and Go-Ahead for Scaled-up Initiatives
The meeting assessed around a dozen initiatives proposed by developed and
developing countries for fast and federated action on short lived climate
pollutants including many happening already at the national level.
Delegates took forward five to be approved for rapid implementation by
Ministers on the final day. Those approved included:-
- Fast action on diesel emissions including from heavy duty vehicles and
engines
Studies show that reductions are possible by addressing emissions from the
freight transportation supply chain, through city action plans, and adoption of
a range of measures for reducing sulphur in fuels and vehicle emissions
- Upgrading old inefficient brick kilns which are a significant source of
black carbon emissions
Mexico has for example [20,000] small and medium-sized brick kilns and the
design of many of the [6,000] in Bangladesh hark back to the 1900s.
- Accelerating the reduction of methane emissions from landfills
World-wide the waste management sector contributes about 11% of global
methane emissions, and the coalition will work with cities to reduce methane
emissions from landfills by improving strategic municipal solid waste planning
and providing technical assistance.
- Speeding up cuts in methane and other emissions from the oil and gas
industry
Natural gas venting and leakage from the oil and gas industry accounts for
over one fifth of global man-made emissions of methane:Flaring at oil
installations generate both methane and black carbon emissions. An estimated one
third of leaks and venting can be cut using existing technologies at low
cost.
- Accelerating alternatives to HFCs
HFCs are being rapidly introduced as replacements to chemicals that can
damage the ozone layer-the Earth's protective shield that filters out hazardous
ultra violet light. But HFCs are also powerful greenhouse gases.
The Coalition aims to fast track more environmentally-friendly and cost
effective alternatives and technologies to avoid HFC growth.
- Additional initiatives - including a proposal by Ghana on
agricultural/forest open burning and a proposal by Bangladesh on cookstoves -
would be further developed over the coming weeks.
Trust Fund Established
To support the Coalition's efforts, a new Trust Fund managed by a UNEP-hosted
secretariat was agreed today.
Initial financing pledges for the Coalition now amount to some $16.7 million
with significantly more funds expected over the coming 12 months.
Science Advisory Panel
Sound science has underpinned the formation of the Coalition and will guide
its work into the future. Ministers today asked three luminaries involved in
short lived climate pollutant work to advise them on the formation of a
dedicated world-class Science Advisory Panel to provide scientific advice to the
Coalition.
The advice will be provided by Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute for
Space Studies, Mario Molina, the distinguished Mexican chemist and 1995 Nobel
Prize co-winner and Veerabhadran Ramanathan, chair of the UNEP Atmospheric Brown
Cloud project based at the University of California San Diego,
Coalition Web Site Goes Live
The Coalition today also unveiled a dedicated web site to support
dissemination of information about the initiative's role and partners
http://www.unep.org/ccac/
Notes to Editors
Quotes from Other Newly Joining Partners
Colombia
Frank Pearl, the Colombian Minister of the Environment and Sustainable
Development, said: "Colombia has recognized for some time the urgency of
acting on these short lived climate pollutants including the impacts of black
carbon on public health and the accelerated melting of glaciers the high
mountain areas of Latin America".
"Colombia is among several countries in our region to act on soot particles
from
vehicles and other contaminating sources as well as emissions that are
triggering tropospheric or ground level ozone-another short lived climate
pollutants," he said.
"In joining the Coalition we see not only potential national and global
benefits but Colombia plans to act as a regional hub, reaching out to other
countries in Latin America in order to generate regional opportunities for
sustainable development," said Mr Pearl.
European Commission
Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, said: "The
European Commission is very pleased to join this Coalition. This initiative
should complement the efforts needed under the UN climate change convention to
cut global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will limit global
temperature increase to below 2°C.
"The Commission is willing to consider further support to concrete projects
in developing countries to reduce emissions from short-lived climate pollutants.
Action on these pollutants will not, however, replace the need for continued
action by all major economies to reduce CO2 emissions, which needs to be stepped
up," she added.
Nigeria
Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia , Nigerian Minister of the Environment said:
"Nigeria is delighted to be a new member of the Coalition. It is estimated that
95,000 women in my country die each year prematurely because of black carbon
emissions from source such as inefficient cook stoves-this is a conservative
estimate. Meanwhile there are enormous opportunities for reducing methane
emissions from sources such as the oil and gas industry and landfills that can
benefit Nigeria and its people and the wider regional and global ambitions to
combat climate change in a cost effective and economic way".
"We look to encourage more countries within Africa and beyond to join this
inspiring initiative so that fast action can be federated everywhere in order to
save lives, improve food security and tackle climate change which challenges the
future of the poor and the vulnerable exponentially," she added.
Norway
Bård Vegar Solhjell, the Norwegian Minister of the Environment, said: "Norway
is delighted to join the Coalition. It unites our country's interest in
achieving national sustainability with international responsibilities in the
areas of health, food security, climate and development".
"There are many international initiatives addressing these short term
pollutants, and Norway is participating in several of them. In this Coalition
the United Nations Environment Program participates, both as partner and as
Secretariat for the Coalition. This is a very wise decision, which provides
credibility and leverage and increases the value of the Coalition´s work", he
added.
"Finally it echoes to Norway's interest in the Green Economy in the context
of sustainable development and poverty eradication-a key issue for the upcoming
Rio+20 Summit in June-in which well-targeted policy and financial interventions
can catalyze benefits across multiple fronts," said Mr Solhjell.
World Bank
"From multi-billion dollar investments in clean energy each year to climate
smart solutions for agriculture and cities, the Bank already targets short-term
environmental pollutants in developing countries through our lending, data and
evidence based knowledge sharing and technical assistance. But, we can achieve
even more by working as a coalition," said Rachel Kyte, World Bank Vice
President for Sustainable Development.
"This is the most important decade for action on climate change", Kyte said.
"But with a global treaty that will speed the curbing of carbon dioxide many
years off, the climate and clean air coalition puts a practical new deal on the
table - one that helps slow global warming while reducing the soot and smog that
is damaging food crops and health worldwide, undermining growth and
development."
Aims of the Coalition
- To catalyze the speed and the scale of action on short lived climate
pollutants
- Enhance existing and develop new national actions to address mitigation gaps
- Encourage existing and new regional actions
- Reinforce and track existing efforts to reduce these pollutants, promoting
opportunities for greater international coordination and developing and
improving inventories
- Identify barriers to action and seeking to surmount them
- Promote best practices or available technologies and showcase successful
efforts to address short lived climate pollutants
- Improve understanding of and review scientific progress on short lived
climate pollutants, their impacts and benefits of mitigation and dissemination
of knowledge; and
- Mobilize targeted support for those developing countries that require
resources to develop their capacity and to implement actions consistent with
national strategies to support sustainable development
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Term Climate Pollutants
was launched in Washington DC on 17 February 2012.
http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/HFC_report.pdf
