A traditional sawdust-fuelled
brick kiln in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico,
where more than 2,500 inefficient brick
kilns contribute to public health and air
quality issues due to black carbon emissions
Paris, 24 July 2012
- Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy,
Jordan and the United Kingdom were today
announced as new country partners in an
international initiative to cut a range
of climate-damaging pollutants that also
have health and agricultural impacts.
The Stockholm Environment
Institute has also become the first research
institute to become a partner in the Climate
and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived
Climate Pollutants.
Further Resources
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce
Short-Lived Climate PollutantsLaunch of
the Coalition Press ReleaseIt brings to
21 the number of partners which are now
part of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition
to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
which was launched in February this year.
The Coalition, the secretariat
of which is hosted by the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP), is targeting world-wide
emissions of black carbon or 'soot', methane
and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs).
Fast action to reduce
short-lived climate pollutants can have
a direct impact on climate change, with
the potential to reduce the warming expected
by 2050 by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius.
At the same time, by
2030, such action can prevent millions of
premature deaths, and avoid the annual loss
of more than 30 million tons of crops.
The Coalition complements
actions taken by countries under the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and
other actions targeted at carbon dioxide.
The announcement of
new national partners (see quotes from the
new partners in the notes to editors), several
of whom signalled their commitment to join
at the last G8 Summit in the United States,
came as members of the Coalition today discussed
the progress of five international initiatives
to accelerate action on these harmful pollutants.
The G8 also commissioned
the World Bank, which is partner in the
CCAC, to "...prepare a report on ways
to integrate reduction of near-term climate
pollution into their activities and ask
the World Bank to bring together experts
from interested countries to evaluate new
approaches to financing projects to reduce
methane, including through pay-for-performance
mechanisms." The outputs will be available
in early 2013.
The Initiatives were
agreed at the first ministerial of the Coalition
held in Stockholm, Sweden in April during
the celebrations of the 40th anniversary
of the first UN Conference on the Human
Environment.
Methane Emissions from
Municipal Waste
Waste generated world-wide
is responsible for an estimated one-third
of global methane emissions-a greenhouse
gas over 20 times more potent than carbon
dioxide and one linked to the generation
of ground level ozone that is not only damaging
to crops but human health.
The Coalition is working
with the Global Methane Initiative and the
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, which
is partnered with the Clinton Climate Initiative,
to assist urban areas to cut methane emission
from across the waste chain including from
landfills and pollution linked with organic
waste like food.
The initiative is also
planning to assist cities in reducing open
burning of municipal waste, which results
in harmful black carbon emissions.
A dedicated web-based
platform, through which cities world-wide
can share experiences, achievements and
best practices, will be launched.
At today's meeting in
Paris, the Coalition discussed progress
on this initiative, including plans to work
with an initial group of up to 10 cities
during the next 12 months through measures
such as waste inventories, enhanced composting
and recycling, landfill management, and
comprehensive waste sector planning.
Emissions from Brick
Kilns
The manufacture of bricks
in developing countries is often linked
with significant emissions of toxic fumes
including black carbon.
The Coalition is assessing
how to assist countries to switch to more
efficient and mechanized 'firing' technologies.
A recent study in India
and Vietnam indicates that modernizing 35,000
old brick kilns in the region could cut
black carbon emissions by 40,000 tons equal
to 27 million tons of CO2.
Mexico, which has secured
close to $1 million from the Global Environment
Facility to carry out the first national
assessment of SLCPs including those from
its estimated 20,000 traditional brick kilns,
is planning a Coalition workshop in September
to advance action in the region.
The Coalition is also
putting in place the awareness raising and
knowledge generation needed to fast track
demonstration projects.
Reducing Black Carbon
Emissions from Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles
and Engines
The Coalition discussed
many different methods of reducing black
carbon from heavy duty diesel vehicles and
engines-emissions that are not only a health
risk but contribute to melting in the Arctic.
The use of low sulphur
fuels opens up the possibility of one method
- fitting particle or black carbon filters
to heavy duty vehicles.
Efforts under the UNEP-hosted
Clean Fuels and Vehicles Partnership, originally
established to phase lead out of petrol,
are now focused on reducing sulphur levels
in transport fuels. The Coalition is planning
to build off of UNEP's existing sulphur
reduction efforts to also tackle black carbon
emissions.
Promoting Alternatives
to HFCs
HFCs are increasingly
being used as replacements to CFCs in areas
such as air conditioners, refrigeration
and foams because they have zero impact
on the ozone layer-the Earth's shield that
filters out dangerous levels of the sun's
ultra violet rays.
However studies indicate
that some HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases
and if these become widespread they could
be responsible for emissions equivalent
to 3.5 to 8.8 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon
dioxide (Gt CO2eq) - comparable to current
annual emissions from the entire global
transport system, estimated at around 6-7
Gt annually.
There are many climate-friendlier
replacements available and opportunities
to reduce HFC emissions through advanced
technologies as well as best service practices.
The Coalition is catalysing
awareness of the risks and the alternatives.
This week it convened a packed meeting of
industry and governments in Bangkok, Thailand
aimed at fast tracking these aims.
Emissions from the Oil
and Gas Industry
Venting and leakage
from oil and gas systems account for over
a fifth of global man-made methane emissions
and represent estimated economic losses
of $27 billion to over $60 billion a year.
An estimated one-third
of these losses can be reduced at zero cost
with existing technologies and practices.
Meanwhile flaring also leads to emissions
of black carbon.
Action is underway to
address the issue through initiatives such
as the Global Methane Initiative, the Natural
Gas STAR International program, and the
Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) Partnership.
The Coalition is planning
to build upon those efforts by working with
industry, countries and investors to catalyse
accelerated action.
Notes to Editors
Quotes from new partners
Finland
"The need to limit
short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) has
grown. In the Arctic region, in particular,
black carbon emissions and deposition must
be reduced. Controlling all SLCP emissions
will complement international efforts to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order
to combat climate change as effectively
as possible. Limiting fine particulates
will also alleviate health risk ",
states Ville Niinistö, Finland's Minister
of the Environment.
Germany
"The German government
is delighted to be a part of the Climate
and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived
Climate Pollutants. Germany has already
initiated extensive measures at national
and international level to curb these substances.
The Coalition can play a key role in achieving
this and thus supplement the efforts of
international climate policy and other environmental
areas such as air quality control and the
protection of the ozone layer," according
to the Federal Environment Minister of Germany,
Peter Altmaier.
Italy
Corrado Clini, the Italian Minister of the
Environment, said: "Italy is glad to
join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition
to reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
(SLCP)".
"Italy recognises
the crucial importance of reducing emissions
of greenhouse gases and believes that the
Coalition should complement the efforts
needed under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change in order to
address Climate Change".
"Italy will continue
supporting actions and initiatives to reduce
Short-Lived Climate Pollutants and to contribute
to combat climate change, improved air quality
and the protection of human health in the
short-medium term," added Mr Clini.
United Kingdom
"The UK is delighted
to have joined the Climate and Clean Air
Coalition, which offers an excellent opportunity
for the international community to take
action to reduce emissions of pollutants
which contribute to climate change as well
as impacting human health, the environment
and food security," said a spokesperson
from the UK Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs.
Stockholm Environment
Institute (SEI)
The Stockholm Environment
Institute sees the CCAC as an important
forum focusing on effective action, and
committed to achieving tangible results
in the near term. "We will support
the CCAC wholeheartedly with our expertise
and resources touching many aspects of the
short-lived climate pollutant agenda. This
is an exciting initiative and we must work
to ensure its success, showing that countries
can come together and take effective action,"
said SEI Executive Director, Johan Kuylenstierna.
SEI research has concentrated recently on
the related issues of air quality and climate
change and has coordinated two influential
UNEP assessments on short-lived climate
pollutants, focusing on measures that reduce
black carbon, methane and tropospheric ozone
concentrations.
Launch of the Coalition
The Coalition was launched
in Washington DC by six countries and UNEP
- Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden
and the USA - by US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, and UNEP Executive Director, Achim
Steiner.
