Integrating short-lived climate pollutants into Asian NDCs: a survey with recommendations

A joint Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and CCAC Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) report on Integrating Short-Lived Climate Pollutants into Asian NDCs: A Survey with Recommendations.

Key Findings:

• Following the Paris Agreement, more than 180 countries pledged nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Many countries included plans to pursue other development priorities beyond climate change mitigation in their NDCs.
• The inclusion of these priorities is important because it can ensure that climate change is well aligned with broader development goals. It may also help bring climate finance to help fund the achievement of critically important goals.
• Only 8 percent of Asia and the Pacific currently breathes air that meets World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Much of Asia therefore has significant potential to achieve cleaner air and control near-term climate change by integrating short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) into their NDCs.
• This paper analysed NDCs from Northeast, Southeast and South Asia to determine which countries are capitalizing on that potential.
• The analysis revealed many countries’ NDCs referenced methane and hydrofluorocarbons, while a few included black carbon. Some countries incorporated air pollution and co-benefits into their NDCs as part of wider climate change strategies.
• Several interventions could facilitate the integration of SLCPs into NDCs, including: 1) sensitization strategies for high-level decision makers and operational staff; 2) interagency coordination mechanisms and internationally organized seminars; and 3) concrete activities underlying work on SLCPs, especially bringing black carbon into emissions inventories.
• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) have tools to support integration of SLCPs and other air pollutants into NDCs and other relevant policies.
• The Asian Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) can also strengthen NDCs with continual enhancement through the implementation cycle as way to strengthen the science-policy interface.