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Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. The report identifies the residential and transportation sectors as the primary sources, with China and India as the largest emitters. It highlights a 'triple win' of reducing BC: slowing global warming (particularly in the Arctic and Himalayas), preventing millions of premature deaths, and avoiding trillions in economic losses. Key recommendations include scaling clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, retrofitting diesel engines with particulate filters, regulating shipping fuels, and incorporating BC into national climate plans (NDCs).

The document examines how ground-level ozone (O3) reduces crop yields in South Asia, specifically within the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It finds that current O3 concentrations cause yield losses between 5% and 35%, resulting in estimated annual economic losses of approximately US$ 3.9 billion for staple crops. The brief highlights that O3 concentrations are projected to increase more rapidly in South Asia than in any other global region by 2030. It argues that these impacts may be more immediate than those of climate change and could contribute to the recent decline in crop yield growth in the region. The authors recommend international cooperation to reduce precursor emissions, the development of O3-resistant crop varieties, and improved integration of air quality and food security into policy frameworks.

The report highlights that black carbon emissions are rising in low- and middle-income countries due to a lack of binding international agreements and its exclusion from the UNFCCC list of climate pollutants. It proposes that emissions can be rapidly reduced by 2030 through the deployment of proven technologies and targeted interventions. A primary focus is the transition to clean cooking fuels, noting that 42% of global residential black carbon emissions come from seven specific countries, with the Indo-Gangetic Plains being the largest hotspot. The document emphasizes that government subsidies and favorable policies, such as India's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme, are essential for the adoption of clean fuels.