In a global effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the U.S. and five other countries have started a new program called Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants to cut methane, soot and hydrofluorocarbons that contribute to global warming.
According to a New York Times article, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will announce the five-year initiative Thursday morning. Canada, Sweden, Mexico, Ghana, and Bangladesh are also participating in the program. The plan will be administered by the United Nations Environment Program, with a $12 million contribution from the U.S. for the first two years and an additional $3 million from Canada.
The program will fund education projects and joint public-private efforts to reduce emissions and encourage nations to reduce diesel exhaust, stem the burning of agricultural waste, and capture methane from landfills, coal mines and natural gas wells.
Scientists say that carbon dioxide, methane, soot and hydrofluorocarbons contribute to global warming. These three pollutants caused the 30 to 40 percent of the almost one degree Celsius rise in global temperatures since the beginning of the 20th century.
Efforts to reduce soot and methane emissions could slow global warming by about a half a degree Celsius by 2030 if the world works together to contribute to this cause. Reductions in soot and methane would quickly improve global warming since they do not last in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide does. Scientists say that reducing emissions of soot will save millions of lives by reducing instances of lung disease.
Lena Ek, Sweden’s Minister of the Environment, said in a statement that she has “very high hopes” that the program will reduce global warming and improve global health, especially for women and children in developing nations who rely on wood-burning stoves for cooking. Ek said several additional countries are poised to join the coalition, which will hold its first meeting April 23 in Stockholm.
“This isn’t a panacea, but it represents an opportunity for bipartisan progress and near-term results on the climate front,” he stated.
Edited by
Rich Steeves
