Why pollutants like black carbon and methane must be incorporated into NDCs

The authors advocate for including short-lived climate pollutants (SCLPs) like black carbon and methane in NDCs to accelerate short-term warming reduction and improve public health. They highlight Chile's success in integrating air quality and climate policies, which led to the fastest reduction of coal emissions among developing countries and the deployment of the largest electric bus fleet outside China. The text asserts that SCLP mitigation is a critical opportunity for the Global South to enhance resilience and that collective action on these pollutants could reduce temperature rise by 0.5C in the coming decades.

• Integrating air quality and climate policies in Chile has accelerated the transition to clean energy, resulting in the fastest reduction of coal emissions of any developing country and the establishment of the largest electric bus fleet outside of China in Santiago.
• Chile has incorporated specific targets for short-lived climate pollutants (SCLPs) into its NDCs and climate change law, including a commitment to reduce black carbon emissions by 25% to protect Andes Mountains glaciers and reduce urban warming.
• Short-lived climate pollutants are identified as the fastest way to reduce short-term warming and maintain the 1.5C goal, with collective ambition on SCLPs potentially reducing temperature rise by 0.5C in the coming decades.
• The document notes a significant disparity in SCLP contributions, stating that nearly 80% of warming from these pollutants, such as methane, has originated from non-OECD countries.
• The authors argue that previous environmental policy failures occurred when climate and air quality policies were not integrated, leading to the promotion of 'false solutions' like diesel vehicles and wood-burning stoves, both of which emit significant black carbon and methane.

APA

Urmeneta, M. M. C. C. (2024). Why pollutants like black carbon and methane must be incorporated into NDCs. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-pollutants-like-black-carbon-must-be-incorporated-into-ndcs/

Chicago

Urmeneta, Marcelo Mena Carrasco, Carolina. Why pollutants like black carbon and methane must be incorporated into NDCs. World Economic Forum, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-pollutants-like-black-carbon-must-be-incorporated-into-ndcs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Urmeneta |first1=Marcelo Mena Carrasco, Carolina |title=Why pollutants like black carbon and methane must be incorporated into NDCs |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=7 September 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-pollutants-like-black-carbon-must-be-incorporated-into-ndcs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{urmeneta2024why, author = {Urmeneta, Marcelo Mena Carrasco, Carolina}, title = {{Why pollutants like black carbon and methane must be incorporated into NDCs}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-pollutants-like-black-carbon-must-be-incorporated-into-ndcs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }