Short-lived climate pollutants and climate change Our best chance to avoid dangerous climate change is to reduce highly potent short-lived climate pollutants and carbon dioxide at the same time. Here's why. Share SHARE Facebook share Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email Breadcrumb Home About SLCPs Benefits of action Climate Climate change is already transforming the planet. The past five years were the hottest on record. As temperatures rise, the threats of exceptional global heat, severe wildfires, powerful storms, retreating ice, and rising sea levels are becoming far more likely. If this trend continues unabated, it will have far-reaching, long-lasting consequences for livelihoods globally. Continued warming will accelerate feedback loops, like the loss of Arctic summer sea ice, causing the planet to warm even faster than it is now. These climate ‘tipping points’ would be irreversible and potentially catastrophic. Fast action must be taken now to limit these threats. Measures to reduce short-lived climate pollutants can be implemented now and produce quick results. Five reasons why reducing short-lived climate pollutants is integral to climate action: 1. Rapidly reduce the rate of warming Methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon and tropospheric ozone – known as short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – are responsible for nearly half of warming today. They are tens to thousands of times more than powerful carbon dioxide (CO2) at warming the planet. However, because they are in the atmosphere for a relatively short amount of time – a few days to a few decades – short-lived climate pollutants respond very quickly to reduction efforts. By reducing emissions of these pollutants now, we can rapidly bend the global warming curve in the coming decades. 2. Necessary to keep warming to 1.5˚C The Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise this century to well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit it even further to 1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We are on the brink of missing the opportunity to reach these goals. Current commitments to the Paris Agreement will see temperatures rise by 3.2°C this century. Global temperatures have already risen by 1.1°C, and more frequent and extreme climatic events have left families, homes and communities devastated. Image Cutting SLCPs now can avoid up to 0.6°C of global warming by 2050. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5˚C found that decisive action to reduce these pollutants, along with deep cuts to CO2, is essential by 2030 to keep warming to 1.5˚C. 3. Prevent dangerous tipping points Taking steps to rapidly reduce the rate of warming is necessary to prevent runaway warming and dangerous climate tipping points, like melting Arctic ice, that can exacerbate long-term climate change impacts. Arctic warming is now increasing at twice the global rate. Reducing SLCPs can cut the rate of Arctic warming by up to two-thirds and avoid over 50% of predicted warming in the Arctic by 2050. These actions can also reduce the rate of sea-level rise by about 20% in the first half of this century. By 2100, cutting both carbon dioxide and SLCPs could reduce the rate of sea-level rise by up to 50%, which would give coastal communities and low-lying states time to adapt. 4. Protect the most vulnerable Everyone will be affected by climate change, but some are more vulnerable than others. People living in small island developing states, coastal regions, megacities, and mountainous and polar (cryosphere) regions are particularly vulnerable. All forms of climate action, especially actions to reduce SLCPs, can change lives for the better. The important near-term climate benefits that SLCP mitigation delivers will benefit the poor and most vulnerable who often live on the frontlines of climate change. 5. We can cut emissions now Solutions to cut SLCPs can be implemented today. All are based on existing technology and can be carried out at no or little cost. Concerted global efforts can cut methane emissions by at least 40% and black carbon by up to 70% by 2030, and virtually eliminate (99.5%) high-global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons by 2050 (all compared to 2010 levels). Solutions include actions like replacing and properly disposing of HFCs in refrigeration and air conditioning; reducing methane from waste (including food waste) and agriculture; reducing black carbon emissions from household cooking, lighting and heating, heavy-duty engines in trucks, buses and ships; and reducing methane leaks from oil and gas production. Explore the solutions Practical, cost-effective technologies and techniques can be implemented now to reduce black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Sector solutions How we’re driving action The Coalition is the only global organisation dedicated to cutting SLCPS to stabilise the climate, limit warming to 1.5°C, and drastically reduce air pollution. Our partners are the driving force of this work. We drive action by testing, implementing and sharing solutions, raising awareness, and engaging with leaders at the highest levels. Our Trust Fund provides resources for technical assistance and capacity building in developing countries, and targeted catalytic actions that transform sectors and reduce their SLCP emissions. Our latest projects Previous Next Ghana – Build capacity to meet new regulation on biomass cookstoves Household Energy Ghana – Build capacity to meet new regulation on biomass cookstoves Enhancing the climate mitigation ambitious of Brazil Enhancing the climate mitigation ambitious of Brazil Kazakhstan - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap Kazakhstan - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap Establish a Lower Mekong Regional Hub for Clean Air to enhance harmonized national regulatory capacity in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia Establish a Lower Mekong Regional Hub for Clean Air to enhance harmonized national regulatory capacity in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia El Salvador - National SLCP Plan and Methane Roadmap    National policy and planning El Salvador - National SLCP Plan and Methane Roadmap    Guatemala - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap  National policy and planning Guatemala - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap  Senegal - Develop a National Organic Waste Management Strategy targeting short-lived climate pollutants Waste Senegal - Develop a National Organic Waste Management Strategy targeting short-lived climate pollutants Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities Waste Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities Pakistan - Develop a comprehensive strategy for mitigating methane emissions in the organic waste sector Waste Pakistan - Develop a comprehensive strategy for mitigating methane emissions in the organic waste sector Panama – Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions Waste Panama – Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions
Ghana – Build capacity to meet new regulation on biomass cookstoves Household Energy Ghana – Build capacity to meet new regulation on biomass cookstoves
Enhancing the climate mitigation ambitious of Brazil Enhancing the climate mitigation ambitious of Brazil
Kazakhstan - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap Kazakhstan - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap
Establish a Lower Mekong Regional Hub for Clean Air to enhance harmonized national regulatory capacity in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia Establish a Lower Mekong Regional Hub for Clean Air to enhance harmonized national regulatory capacity in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia
El Salvador - National SLCP Plan and Methane Roadmap    National policy and planning El Salvador - National SLCP Plan and Methane Roadmap   
Guatemala - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap  National policy and planning Guatemala - Develop a national SLCP plan to mainstream SLCP mitigation into existing policy and methane roadmap 
Senegal - Develop a National Organic Waste Management Strategy targeting short-lived climate pollutants Waste Senegal - Develop a National Organic Waste Management Strategy targeting short-lived climate pollutants
Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities Waste Paraguay - Actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions in medium and small communities
Pakistan - Develop a comprehensive strategy for mitigating methane emissions in the organic waste sector Waste Pakistan - Develop a comprehensive strategy for mitigating methane emissions in the organic waste sector
Panama – Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions Waste Panama – Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions