Reining in carbon dioxide emissions is critical. But we must act to remove super pollutants today or decarbonization won’t be enough. This should start with a 10-year sprint to cut super pollutants as part of our renewed commitment to the Paris Agreement at the president’s Climate Leaders Summit on Earth Day in April.

In addition to putting super pollutants on the agenda of President Biden’s 22 April climate summit, the NGO letter urges the Administration “to make mitigation of super pollutants a priority in all of the international consultations and negotiations that will take place this year”, including COP 26 in Glasgow and the Arctic Council ministerial.

Curbing CO2 emissions gets most of the attention and getting to net zero emissions by midcentury is essential in the long run to abate climate change. But that’s not enough. To bend the warming curve, we must drastically reduce the less appreciated short-lived “super-pollutants”.

President Biden directed the State Dept. to prepare a transmittal package to the Senate for the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down potent HFCs. “President Biden knows the Senate better than any president before him, and will be using the advice and consent process to build bipartisan support for this and future climate action, which the American people are demanding,” said IGSD President, Durwood Zaelke.