Aggressively cutting methane emissions is the fastest and most effective way to reduce the rate of warming and keep the global average temperature from breaching the 1.5°C barrier above preindustrial levels, according to the Global Methane Assessment released today by UNEP and the CCAC. The Assessment calculates that available mitigation measures can cut emissions from human activities by 45 percent and avoid nearly 0.3 °C of warming by the 2040s.

Durwood Zaelke, IGSD President, and Stephen O. Andersen, IGSD Director of Research, joined long-term collaborator Alan Miller to present IGSD’s work on short-lived in an accessible book designed for both citizens and policymakers.
Resetting Our Future: Cut Super Climate Pollutants Now! describes the ozone treaty’s urgent lessons for speeding climate action and issues a call to action to cut warming by half in the next decade. Additional information, including the Table of Contents, here.

At the China State Council press conference, the China Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced actions on non CO2 greenhouse gases, including methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), nitrous oxide, and sulfur hexafluoride. Additionally, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced further actions to support ozone-depleting substance management and control.

The United States EPA took an important step for climate protection today by finalizing Significant New Alternatives Policy program rule 23 (SNAP 23). This rule approves several low global warming potential refrigerants for split system air conditioners and heat pumps, including R-32.