4 December 2015: Governments and industry leaders committed to reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) at the Focus Event on SLCPs held under the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) and organized by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The event featured progress and commitments in the freight, refrigeration, solid waste, oil and gas sectors as well as a proposal to phase-down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol.

SLCPS, such as black carbon, HFCs, methane and tropospheric ozone, have higher global warming potential (GWP) than that of carbon dioxide, according to the UNFCCC. It stresses that reducing SLCP emissions is essential to keeping the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC also notes that reducing the use of SLCPs can help achieve energy efficiency and reduce industry’s emissions footprint. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the health benefits of addressing SLCPs, explaining that they contribute to more than seven million premature deaths annually, as a result of air pollution.

Under the Global Refrigerant Management Initiative, the Global Food Cold Chain Council (GFCCC), including members Coca-Cola and Unilever, committed to reduce HFC emissions from refrigerant services by 30-50% within 10 years by reducing the use and emissions of high-GWP HFCs, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing food loss in the cold chain.

The CCAC’s Municipal Solid Waste Initiative committed to get an additional 50 cities (for a total of 100 cities) to implement action plans to reduce SLCPS from the waste sector by 2020.

The Global Green Freight Action Plan, led by CCAC, aims to double the number of countries committed to establishing new or enhancing existing green freight programs by 2018, a commitment also discussed at the LPAA Transport Event. The top 100 global shippers agreed to include black carbon mitigation into their existing efforts by 2025.

Governments also presented commitments. Kenya described the East African 50 parts per million fuel standard and Chile shared its fuel and vehicle standards and labeling, among other initiatives. The Government of California, US, committed to reduce black carbon emissions by 50% and methane and HFCs by 40%. Chile, China, Mexico and the US included SLCPs in their Intended nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The LPAA is a joint undertaking of the Peruvian and French COP presidencies, the Office of the UN Secretary-General and the UNFCCC Secretariat. It is convening on the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC. [UNFCCC Press Release] [UNEP Press Release] [IISD RS Story on Transport Event] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21] [IISD RS Coverage of SLCP Event]