CO2 emissions pose the gravest long-term threat to our global climate, and reducing these emissions must form the core of any climate change strategy. But given the current pace of global warming and the risk of irreversible changes, we must take immediate steps to cool the planet in the near term.
CATF initiatives are aimed at reducing those short-lived pollutants that are warming the planet the most in the near future and offer the most promising targets for immediate cleanup. These include methane, black carbon (BC), and tropospheric ozone. Because these gases and aerosols have a much shorter atmospheric lifespan than CO2, significant cuts in their emissions will yield much faster reductions in planetary heating, as compared to reductions in CO2. This is particularly the case in snow- and ice-covered regions, including the Arctic and mountain regions, where warming is occurring at twice the rate of the rest of the world. By targeting short-lived pollutants we can also improve air quality and human health.
