Vancouver — Matt Horne, director of the Pembina Institute’s climate change program, made the following comments in response to the launch of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants:
“International cooperation to cut short-lived climate pollutants like methane and soot is very welcome, and will be particularly beneficial in the developing world. Putting these affordable solutions in place will save lives, improve air quality and help tackle climate change.
“Reducing these short-lived climate forcers is important and needs to complement urgent action on carbon dioxide if we are going to limit global warming to 2˚C. Carbon dioxide remains the primary ‘temperature knob’ of our climate and without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, we continue to be crank that knob to warmer and warmer temperatures.
“According to a recent UN study, many of the solutions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants are very low cost — and half will ultimately save money. We look forward to the new coalition accelerating these solutions and commend Canada’s participation in this initiative.
“Canada has significant opportunities to lead on reductions in methane, with natural gas development, wastewater and landfills representing major sources that can be addressed with affordable solutions. Environment Canada should also restore funding for its Canadian Operational Aerosol Lidar Network, which monitors black carbon pollution and was recently shut down due to budget cuts.”
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Background:
UNEP report on cost-effective measures to reduce emissions of methane, black carbon and tropospheric ozone is available here.
Contact:
Matt Horne,
Director, climate change
Cell: 778.235.1476
Kevin Sauve,
Communications lead
Cell: 604.354.2628
