Climate and Clean Air Coalition - Environment Notes

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a non-profit coalition of governments, intergovernmental groups and civil society organisations dedicated to enhancing air quality and climate protection by reducing short-lived climate pollutants. It is the only worldwide initiative that brings together governments, civic society, and the business sector to improve air quality and safeguard the climate over the next few decades by lowering short-lived climate emissions across sectors. Methane, black carbon, and HFCs are the Coalition's primary focus. This article explains that the Climate and Clean Air Coalition is important for UPSC IAS exam preparation.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition

• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary collaboration of governments, intergovernmental groups, companies, research institutions, and civil society organisations dedicated to enhancing air quality and preserving the climate through measures to decrease short-lived climate pollutants.
• Its worldwide network presently comprises over 120 state and non-state allies, as well as hundreds of local players working across economic sectors.
• The Coalition functions as a platform for evaluating progress in tackling the issue of short-lived climate emissions and mobilising resources to expedite action.
• It works to catalyse new actions as well as to highlight and strengthen current efforts on near-term climate change and associated public health, food and energy security, and environmental problems.
• The Coalition's aim is to decrease short-lived climate pollutants above and beyond the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines in its special report Global Warming of 1.5°C.
• The Coalition's operations are funded by a multi-donor the Climate and Clean Air Trust Fund, which was created in 2012 and is administered by UN Environment.
• While governments are the Coalition's primary funding source, contributions from the business industry and the worldwide society are welcomed.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition - Objectives

• Raising understanding of the effects of short-lived climate pollutants and mitigation measures
• Enhancing and creating new national and regional activities, such as finding and conquering obstacles, expanding capacity, and mobilising support
• promoting best practises and highlighting effective initiatives
• Improving empirical knowledge of the effects of short-lived climate pollutants and mitigation methods.

What are short-lived climate pollutants?

• Short-lived climate pollutants are those that have a short lifetime in the environment.
• They are also referred to as Super Pollutants.
• Short-lived contaminants include methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
• They have many times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
• However, because they have a limited lifetime in the atmosphere, reducing emissions can significantly slow the pace of warming.

Approach of CCAC to reduce short-lived climate pollutants

• The Coalition's partners and project participants collaborate with important short-lived climate polluters and other stakeholders from around the globe to support, empower, and catalyse emission-cutting action.
• Provide knowledge, tools, technological and administrative ability to act, and support the exchange of information, experience, and skill to enable revolutionary action.
• Advocate for action to place short-lived climate pollutants on the policy agenda at all levels of government, as well as in the business sector and civic society.
• Increase the availability and accessibility of financial resources to aid in the effective execution of replicable, transformative action.
• Improve science understanding to assist decision-makers in scaling up action and promoting the numerous advantages of action on short-lived climate pollutants.

India and CCAC

• India has officially joined the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), becoming the 65th nation to do so.
• India intends to collaborate with Climate Clean and Coalition nations on best practices and lessons learned in order to effectively execute India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

NCAP (National Clean Air Programme):

• The NCAP, which was launched in January 2019, is a complete plan with actions to avoid, control, and decrease air pollution, as well as enhance air quality monitoring across the nation.
• It seeks to cut fine particulate matter (PM5) and particulate (PM10) air pollution by 20%-30% by 2024.
• India has found 102 non-attainment towns and is developing city-specific action plans.

Conclusion

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a non-profit coalition of governments, international organisations, businesses, research institutions, and civil society agencies committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate by reducing short-lived climate pollutants. The Coalition's goal is to reduce short-lived climate emissions above and beyond the recommendations outlined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report Global Warming of 1.5°C.

FAQs

MCQs

Question: Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2017)

1. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of the G20 group of countries.
2. The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Question: Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2005)

1. The Kyoto protocol came into force in 2005.
2. The Kyoto protocol deals primarily with the depletion of the ozone layer.
3. Methane as a greenhouse gas is more harmful than carbon dioxide.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 1 and 3

(c) 1 only

(d) 3 only