SLCPs’ global warming potential can be between 80 to 1,500 times greater than that of CO2.
John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, US, highlighted a “new consensus” on the need to reduce methane and other SLCPs.
Discussions focused on outlining high-level policy, political, and scientific arguments for global ambition and action on methane and other SLCPs and on setting out perspectives on SLCP finance, among other issues.
The Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum gathered leaders around the theme of “a call to fast action,” to build up global ambition to rapidly reduce emissions from methane and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone.
The Forum recognized that when it comes to cutting emissions, the world needs to run “a sprint, a marathon, and an ultramarathon all at once,” the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary of the meeting highlights. As opposed to carbon dioxide (CO2), it explains, SLCPs only remain in the Earth’s atmosphere for a few years, but their impact is much more intense in a shorter period than that of CO2. SLCPs’ global warming potential (GWP), ENB notes, can be between 80 to 1,500 times greater than that of CO2.
The meeting brought together high-level officials and actors from both government and the private sector who focused on ways to achieve fast climate action by reducing SLCPs in the atmosphere. Discussions focused on:
Addressing participants during the opening, John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, US, highlighted a “new consensus” on the need to reduce methane and other SLCPs, and the Global Methane Pledge launched at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) in 2021.
Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), said methane action must be taken “right now” given the narrow window to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Complementing high-level panel discussions were technical sessions split into six thematic areas: science, planning, and cross-cutting issues; air quality; agriculture and food systems; waste and wastewater; coal; and oil and gas. These sessions provided opportunities for participants to delve deeper into specific topics related to SLCP management and mitigation.
Convened by the CCAC and the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), the meeting took place from 27-29 September 2022 in Washington DC, US.
The CCAC is a voluntary international coalition of governments, international organizations, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It aims to: reduce SLCP emissions; avoid millions of premature deaths; promote food and energy security; and address near-term climate change.
The GMI is an international public-private initiative working towards cost-effective, near-term methane abatement, as well as the recovery and use of methane as an energy source. It focuses on the sectors of biogas (including agriculture, municipal solid waste, and wastewater), coal mines, and oil and gas systems. [ENB Coverage of Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum] [ENB Linkages Article on HFCs Phasedown under Montreal Protocol]