30 March 2012
Nordic Environment Ministers Adopt Svalbard Declaration on Short-lived Climate Forcers
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Nordic Environment Ministers have adopted the Svalbard Declaration on Short-lived Climate Forcers (SCLFs) with the object of strengthening national, regional and international actions on short life-span gases, such as black carbon, which heavily impact climate and health.

The Declaration emphasizes that action on SLCFs should not be at the expense of global action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

27 March 2012: Nordic Environment Ministers from Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland adopted the Svalbard Declaration on Short-lived Climate Forcers (SLCFs) under the Nordic Council of Ministers to reduce emissions of short life-span gases, including black carbon, which have a large impact on both climate and health.

The Environment Ministers convened from 26-27 March 2012, on Svalbard, Norway, to address how to reduce SCLF emissions. The Declaration targets SCLFs reducing their emissions has the potential to slow temperature increases in the Arctic.

In the Svalbard Declaration, the Nordic countries commit to: promote a global climate agreement under the UNFCCC; continue cooperation initiatives under the Arctic Council; develop national measures to reduce transport and wood heating emissions; strengthen cooperation under the Nordic Council of Ministers; work to reduce SCLF emissions through the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO); support the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) implementation of measures to curb SCLFs; and prioritize regulation of national particle emissions under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP).

The Svalbard Declaration emphasizes that action on SLCFs should not be at the expense of global action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A Nordic seminar on SCLF emissions will take place from 7-8 June 2012, in order to assess case studies of national emissions accounts, identify cost-effective measures to reduce SCLF emissions and create national action plans. [Svalbard Declaration] [NORDEN Press Release]

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