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Climate & Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants– driving implementation of the 2030 Strategy

As per its 2030 Strategy, the CCAC aims to bring about global reductions of short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions consistent with keeping temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius while harnessing co-benefits for air quality, health, agricultural productivity, and sustainable development. Working at the nexus of climate and clean air, the work of the CCAC contributes directly to two thematic and three foundational sub-programmes of the MTS 2022-2025 and related outcomes as presented in the UNEP Programme of Work (PoW). The CCAC Secretariat and Trust Fund is hosted by UNEP, and UNEP is a partner in the implementation of almost all CCAC sector Hubs. The CCAC is an example of UNEP delivering in partnership, and activities are complementary to, and often incubating other UNEP projects. The CCAC targets emissions reductions of short-lived climate pollutants including black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and with it the precursors to tropospheric ozone. These pollutants are powerful climate forcers with global warming potentials many times that of carbon dioxide, and significantly impact air quality, as well as food, water, and economic security for much of the world. This occurs directly through their negative effects on public health, food production, and ecosystems, as well as indirectly through their impact on the climate. The measures and technologies to reduce short-lived climate pollutants are available today and are practical, technically feasible, and cost-effective. Putting them in place can bring near-term climate benefits, improve the health and livelihoods of millions and help achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CCAC was founded in 2012 by the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The CCAC proposes an approach that integrates actions on air pollution and climate change by targeting short-lived climate pollutants. This integrated approach rapidly reduces the rate of near-term warming - which contributes to achieving the long-term Paris Agreement targets - while simultaneously delivering real-world benefits for human wellbeing, ecosystems and many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). After a first Phase which put short-lived climate pollutants on the map, this second phase is about spurring implementation at scale. The CCAC is a partnership of governments, NGOs, and IGOs advancing voluntary actions to reduce SLCPs. Activities are guided by the Coalition’s 2030 Strategy, demand driven, led by state partners and supported by a secretariat that sits within UNEP. The CCAC follows three key strategies to scale up action on SLCPs and achieve real benefits for the climate and clean air at scale: i) mobilizing support for action through advocacy at all levels of government, the private sector and civil society; ii) enabling transformative action through policy and regulations by providing knowledge, resources, and technical and institutional capacity to act; and iii) enhancing scientific knowledge to help decision makers scale up action and promote the multiple benefits of action. The CCAC contributes to UNEP’s Climate action sub-programme, increasing country and stakeholder capacity, finance, and access to technologies to deliver on the adaptation and mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement (PoW Outcome 1B). Supporting national and transformative action is a key direction of the CCAC 2030 Strategy, seeking to strengthen national and sub-national capacity building, peer-to-peer engagement, leadership, and policy and planning to achieve substantial emission reductions through an integrated approach to air quality and climate mitigation. A strong focus on supporting national planning and technical capacity building within relevant Ministries ensures sustained action on SLCP reductions beyond the lifespan of CCAC-funded projects. This work is complimentary to UNEP’s ongoing work on “decarbonization” pathways (though technically not targeting but complementing carbon dioxide reduction) given the CCAC’s unique focus on SLCPs (methane, black carbon, HFCs, and PM2.5) to achieve near-term climate mitigation benefits and keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C (PoW Outcome 1A).These activities additionally contribute to the Chemicals and pollution action sub-programme, in particular to improve waste management (PoW Outcome 3B) and to reduce releases of pollutants to air (PoW Outcome 3C) through the development of national plans and policies to reduce SLCPs which target actions within the waste sector as well as more broadly to reduce air pollutant emissions across CCAC priority sectors. The CCAC also contributes to three foundational sub-programmes. The Coalition’s Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) is comprised of internationally-renowned scientific advisors who advise on matters related to SLCPs, air pollution, and near-term climate change. In turn, the CCAC comp