Journal Article

The role of short-lived climate pollutants in meeting temperature goals

Frame, David J., Smith, Stephen M., Bowerman, Niel H. A., Lowe, Jason A., Allen, Myles R., Huntingford, Chris

2013

Overview

This Perspective considers the extent to which early action to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, such as methane and black carbon, would help to limit global warming. Although decreasing emissions of these pollutants would have short-term benefits, simultaneous CO 2 reductions are urgently required to mitigate the risk of dangerous climate change in the longer term. Some recent high-profile publications have suggested that immediately reducing emissions of methane, black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) may contribute substantially towards the goal of limiting global warming to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. Although this literature acknowledges that action on long-lived climate pollutants (LLCPs) such as CO 2 is also required, it is not always appreciated that SLCP emissions in any given decade only have a significant impact on peak temperature under circumstances in which CO 2 emissions are falling. Immediate action on SLCPs might potentially 'buy time' for adaptation by reducing near-term warming; however early SLCP reductions, compared with reductions in a future decade, do not buy time to delay reductions in CO 2 .

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 704/106/694/682 / Black carbon / Carbon dioxide emissions / Climate Change / Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts / Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change / Earth, ocean, space / Emissions control / Environment / Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice / Exact sciences and technology / External geophysics / Global warming / Meteorology / perspective / Pollutants