Inger Andersen urges inclusion of ‘super pollutants’ such as methane and black carbon in NDCs

The Climate and Clean Air Conference 2024 began on February 21, ahead of the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), with a call for international collaboration to phase-out short-lived climate pollutants, or “super pollutants”, such as methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons.

“For super pollutants, the world needs super solutions. By addressing short-lived climate pollutants, the world can deliver climate action, improve air quality and human health,” said Inger Andersen, the UNEP’s executive director, in her speech opening the event in Nairobi, Kenya.

Phasing out super pollutants can reduce air pollution, a global health risk. This will save millions of lives and reduce health impacts on children, including asthma. Protecting crops from pollutants like tropospheric ozone will also boost food security.

Global action to reduce black carbon can provide co-benefits of public health protection and climate change mitigation. But stronger global action on air pollution is beginning to eliminate both cooling and warming aerosols and unmasking the warming already committed from high carbon dioxide concentration. This can lead to new heat extremes.

Hence, an even more aggressive action on carbon dioxide is needed to counter the unmasking effect of air pollution control to not add to warming, as Centre for Science and Environment stated in a report.

In view of these developments, the Climate and Clean Air Conference 2024 is significant and has brought together 86 State Partners and 83 Non-State Partners of the Clean Air Coalition to deliberate on the most recent scientific and policy developments.

These include representatives from governments, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, private sector, finance institutions and key stakeholders from the African region.

UNEA-6 will be held in Nairobi from February 26 to March 1 under the theme of “effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle the triple planetary crisis: climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.”

Action on super pollutants is the ultimate three-for-one offer as a solution across the triple planetary crisis, said Andersen.

She cited the Emissions Gap Report 2023 and reminded that the world is heading for a global temperature rise of 2.5°C to 2.9°C this century. Thus, keeping 1.5°C within reach requires ambitious action on super pollutants.

Andersen urged countries to include ‘Super pollutants’ such as methane and black carbon in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

“Include super pollutants in NDCs as they are being renewed. Finalise methane roadmaps and implement them quickly. And, crucially, find new ways to finance action,” said Andersen.

She underlined the significance of agreements such as the Kigali Amendment, the Montreal Protocol and the Global Methane Pledge to remove super pollutants from the atmosphere.

While the world needs to finalise methane roadmaps and implement them quickly, it is also crucial to find new ways for finance action.

The financing required for methane abatement must increase by a minimum of 3.5 times by 2030, Andersen stated. She also reminded that there is still little funding for action against less high-profile pollutants like nitrous oxide and black carbon.

Delegates at the three-day conference will be engaged in discussions around science-policy interface, national plans on the short-lived climate pollutants and the strategies for mitigating methane and nitrous oxide in agriculture and clean air.

This includes developing a shared agenda in key carbon emitting sectors, including agriculture, fossil fuels, household energy, heavy-duty vehicles and engines, cooling and waste.