23 May 2016: The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have issued the first regional assessment of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Titled ‘Integrated Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Latin America and the Caribbean: Summary for Decision Makers,’ the publication aims to enable policy makers to: better quantify and understand SLCP emissions in the region; identify measures for delivering near-term climate and air pollution benefits; and estimate the reductions in regional air pollutants that could be achieved by implementing these measures, with associated health and crop yield benefits.

By focusing on four SLCPs – black carbon (BC) (soot), methane (CH4), tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), typically used in refrigeration and air conditioning– the assessment seeks to contribute to improving air quality while mitigating climate change.

The report identifies five key messages: (1) poor air quality and global warming have already affected vulnerable populations and ecosystems in LAC, resulting in premature deaths, crop yield losses and damage to ecosystems; (2) agriculture, mobile and commercial refrigeration, and transport sectors produce the most emissions of CH4, HFCs and BC; (3) without any action to reduce SLCP emissions, the influence of emissions originating in the LAC region on climate, human health and agriculture will increase significantly by 2050; (4) a number of SLCP measures have been identified that, by 2050, have the potential to reduce warming in LAC by up to 0.9°C, premature mortality from fine air polluting particulate matter by 26% annually and avoid the loss of 3 to 4 million tons of staple crops each year; and (5) some SLCPs reduction efforts are already in place across LAC and could be scaled up if identified barriers were overcome.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Leo Heileman, UNEP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, indicated that many LAC countries “are already taking part in SLCP reduction initiatives at both national and subnational levels.” “Scaling up these efforts, strengthening policies and improving regional cooperation,” he said, “will lead to widespread reductions of SLCPs with large near-term benefits for the region.”

Underscoring that reducing air pollution from SLCPs will help achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), save lives and protect future generations, Helena Molin Valdés, Head of the CCAC Secretariat, noted that “immediate reductions of both CO2 and SLCPs are necessary to achieve our long-term climate goals, and this can only be achieved by implementing both CO2 and SLCP measures in parallel.”

According to CCAC, compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), SLCPs stay in the atmosphere for a short period of time but are many times more potent at warming it. Black carbon and tropospheric ozone are also powerful air pollutants, harmful to human health and the environment.

CCAC is a global effort that unites governments, civil society and the private sector, committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate in the next few decades by reducing SLCPs across sectors. The CCAC Secretariat is hosted by UNEP, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. [Publication: Integrated Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Latin America and the Caribbean: Summary for Decision Makers] [CCAC Press Release] [CCAC Webpage]