UN Climate Summit: Dozens of Countries Commit to Cut Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

The pollutants, including methane and the coolants HFCs, are many times more potent than carbon dioxide but don't last as long.  Cuts could have a powerful impact.

Environment ministers from dozens of countries agreed this week to hasten their efforts to reduce a class of greenhouse gases that, until now, has been largely overlooked in international climate agreements but could play a crucial role in limiting the worst effects of climate change.

They're called short-lived climate pollutants, because they linger in the atmosphere for only a short time, but they are highly potent, both in warming the planet and in their local impacts on public health.  These pollutants include methane, which escapes from oil and gas systems, agriculture and livestock; hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are used in refrigeration and cooling; and black carbon, a major component of soot. 

A recent IPCC report determined that the world won't succeed in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7°F) above pre-industrial levels without reducing them.

Read more at UN Climate Summit:  Dozens of Countries Commit to Cut Short-Lived Climate Pollutants