The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.
Background
A scientific assessment released by UN Environment and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in 2011 found that measures targeting short-lived climate pollutants could achieve “win-win” results for the climate, air quality, and human wellbeing over a relatively short timeframe.
In 2012, the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), came together to initiate efforts to treat short-lived climate pollutants as an urgent and collective challenge. Together, they formed the Climate & Clean Air Coalition to support fast action and deliver benefits on several fronts at once: climate, public health, energy efficiency, and food security.
The program is managed out of the United Nations Environmental Programme through a Secretariat in Paris, France.
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What are Short-lived climate pollutants?
Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are agents that have relatively short lifetime in the atmosphere – a few days to a few decades – and a warming influence on climate.
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The main short-lived climate pollutants are black carbon, methane and tropospheric ozone, which are the most important contributors to the human enhancement of the global greenhouse effect after CO2.
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These short-lived climate pollutants are also dangerous air pollutants, with various detrimental impacts on human health, agriculture and ecosystems.
Other short-lived climate pollutants include some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
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While HFCs are currently present in small quantity in the atmosphere, their contribution to climate forcing is projected to climb to as much as 19% of global CO2 emissions by 2050.
Objectives of Climate and Clean Air Coalition
The Coalition’s objectives are to address short-lived climate pollutants by:
1 . Raising awareness of short-lived climate pollutant impacts and mitigation strategies.
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2 . Enhancing and developing new national and regional actions including by identifying and overcoming barriers, enhancing capacity, and mobilizing support.
3 . Promoting best practices and showcasing successful efforts.
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4 . Improving scientific understanding of short-lived climate pollutant impacts and mitigation strategies.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Consider the following statements: UPSC 2017
1 . Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of G20 group of countries.
2 . The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (b)
