Summary report, 14 November 2017

The Ninth High-Level Assembly (HLA) of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Live Climate Pollutants (CCAC) convened in Bonn, Germany, on Tuesday 14 November 2017, in parallel with the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). High-level representatives of governments and international and non-governmental organizations attended the Assembly. The HLA addressed the importance of reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) to combat climate change, including through specific calls for action on agriculture and municipal solid waste, and adopted the ‘Bonn Communiqué,’ the HLA’s outcome document.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CCAC

The CCAC is a voluntary international coalition of governments, international organizations, the private sector and NGOs, and aims to: reduce emissions of SLCPs; avoid millions of premature deaths; promote food and energy security; and address near-term climate change.

The CCAC was established in February 2012 by Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the US, together with UN Environment. It is open to countries and non-state actors, and currently has 120 Partners consisting of 57 countries, 17 intergovernmental organizations and 46 NGOs.

SLCPs include black carbon, methane (precursor to tropospheric ozone) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These pollutants have a near-term warming influence on the climate, and, in many cases, are also harmful air pollutants that affect human health, agriculture and ecosystems. The CCAC’s objectives include raising awareness of the impacts and transformative mitigation strategies of SLCPs. It also seeks to: enhance and develop new national and regional actions; promote best practices and showcase successful efforts; and improve scientific understanding of SLCP impacts and mitigation strategies.

INITIATIVES: The CCAC works on 11 initiatives, of which seven are sectoral and four cross-cutting. Its seven sectoral initiatives include:

• Agriculture;
• Bricks (mitigating SLCPs and other pollutants from brick production);
• Diesel (reducing black carbon emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines);
• HFCs (promoting HFC-alternative technology and standards);
• Household energy (reducing SLCPs from household cooking and domestic heating);
• Oil and Gas (accelerating methane and black carbon reductions from oil and natural gas production); and
• Waste (mitigating SLCPs from municipal solid waste).

The CCAC’s four cross-cutting initiatives are on: financing mitigation of SLCPs; regional assessments; supporting national action planning on SLCPs; and health.

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE: The CCAC governance structure includes the HLA, the Working Group, the Steering Committee, the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) and the Secretariat.

The HLA consists of ministers of State Partners and Heads of non-state Partners, and meets at least once a year to provide strategic guidance and leadership to the CCAC, including setting policy, taking stock of progress and initiating future efforts. The Working Group includes focal points from each CCAC Partner, and convenes at least twice a year to oversee activities.

The Steering Committee is composed of the two CCAC Co-Chairs and up to six State Partners, two representatives of international organizations and two NGO representatives. The Steering Committee meets monthly to provide oversight support and recommendations to the HLA and the Working Group. The SAP consists of 15 scientists, including, ex-officio, the UN Environment Chief Scientist. The CCAC Secretariat is hosted by UN Environment in its Economy Division in Paris, France.

RECENT MEETINGS: The 8th HLA convened in Marrakech, Morocco, on 14 November 2016, in parallel with UNFCCC COP 22. The Assembly addressed implementation of the Paris Agreement, seeking to take advantage of the growing momentum to reduce SLCPs. It proposed specific action on methane in the oil and gas sector, and on black carbon in the transport sector, as well as the development of national black carbon inventories.

The 20th meeting of the CCAC Working Group took place from 26-27 April 2017, in Santiago, Chile. Participants: set priorities for 2017 and 2018 to ramp up efforts to reduce SLCPs, especially black carbon; planned for the 2017 HLA; agreed on follow-up actions on previous HLA commitments; decided on future funding for initiatives; and showcased action to access financing for projects and the CCAC Trust Fund.

The 21st meeting of the CCAC Working Group took place from 25-26 September 2017, in Paris, France. During the meeting, participants: discussed preparations for the November HLA; considered the CCAC objective to ‘leverage finance at scale’ and the draft CCAC finance strategy; and deliberated on next steps in addressing the proposed Pathway Approach for SLCPs.

REPORT OF THE HLA

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS – CELEBRATING SUCCESS

This session was Co-Chaired by Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada, and Marcelo Mena Carrasco, Minister of Environment, Chile. In opening remarks, Co-Chair Mena Carrasco welcomed the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Luxembourg as the newest members of the CCAC, and, referring to SLCPs as “super-pollutants,” noted the benefit of reduced SLCPs to health.

Co-Chair McKenna highlighted that addressing SLCPs does not only benefit the climate, but also air quality, health and food security. She called to engage with other ministries, NGOs, indigenous peoples groups and the private sector to address emissions in the agriculture and solid waste sectors. She also encouraged parties to sign the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, join the Breathe Life Initiative, and catalyze action and finance to reduce SLCPs.

Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UN Environment, reiterated McKenna’s call to ratify the Kigali Amendment, and drew attention to the winners of the Climate and Clean Air Awards announced earlier in the week.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Dominique Souris, Executive Director, Youth Climate Lab, and one of Canada’s Top 30 under 30, pointed to the Canada-UK partnership to phase out coal power and, noting that under 30s comprise half of the world’s population, underscored that young people demand the right to live in a world free of air pollution. She invited parties to work with youth, as they are clear about the future they want, which includes clean energy. Highlighting global examples of youth addressing SLCPs, she asked parties how they can engage with youth going forward.

CALLS TO ACTION ON AGRICULTURE AND MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

THE SCIENTIFIC CASE FOR ACTION: Jian Liu, UN Environment Chief Scientist, spoke on UN Environment’s Emissions Gap Report 2017, highlighting that SLCPs can play an important role in preventing the further increase in temperature. He called for thinking outside the box, and considering co-benefits of addressing air pollution and health issues.

Dave Turk, International Energy Agency (IEA), identified findings from the World Energy Outlook Report, specifically that it would be possible to reduce 76 Mt of current emissions in the oil and gas sector. He noted that for the first time, his organization was conducting integrated energy access scenarios under the ‘Sustainable Development Scenario,’ focused on reducing pollution deaths and in line with the Paris Agreement.

AGRICULTURE: José Graziano da Silva, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), lamented the exposure of the agriculture sector to the impacts of climate change, explaining that for the first time in a decade, world hunger had increased, and this was due to climate change. He noted that business as usual may result in 20% global food insecurity by 2030, and that mitigation and adaptation in the agriculture sector, specifically reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and implementing sustainable farming practices, are key to prevention. He concluded that low carbon livestock is possible now, and that reducing enteric methane emissions is one of the most cost-effective climate mitigation strategies.

James Shaw, Minister of Climate Change, New Zealand, welcomed the Bonn Communiqué, applauding the efforts of the CCAC to move from tier one to tier two monitoring of agriculture-based GHG inventories. He expressed his content that methane emissions in agriculture were being addressed, and noted his country’s experience in this area, as well as in reducing emissions from landfill sites.

Chu Van Chuong, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam, expressed appreciation for being able to attend the HLA for the first time as a Partner, and lamented that his country was one of the most affected by climate change. He shared his country’s experience in addressing methane emissions in rice production, explaining that rice growers are encouraged to use alternative production methods.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: Co-Chair Mena Carrasco noted that municipal solid is an environmental justice issue for developing countries, particularly as urbanization increases. Noting the efforts of the CCAC and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group to address this, he highlighted opportunities to divert organic waste and capture methane within landfills, and called for a ban on plastic bags to aid the compost process.

DISCUSSION: Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Sweden, opened the discussion, explaining that agriculture and waste management are closely linked. Highlighting her country’s method of heating homes, she noted the move away from fossil fuels to using waste to produce district heating. She added that the CCAC has an important role in helping countries to develop SLCP reduction strategies, and called to scale up finance for SLCP action. She committed another EUR300,000 to the CCAC Trust Fund.

During the discussion, Belgium expressed his country’s commitment to taking ambitious actions to address SLCPs not just on a regional, but also on a national level. Supporting the Bonn Communiqué, he stressed that short-term actions to address SLCPs must be based on sustainable practices. He announced a contribution of EUR200,000 from Belgium’s Walloon Region for the CCAC Trust Fund.

Japan called for continued exchange of best practices and lessons learned. He underlined the need to mainstream measures to address SLCPs in national action plans, and expressed Japan’s continued commitment to promoting SLCP reduction. He announced a contribution of US$2.5 million to the CCAC Trust Fund.

Colombia outlined strategies defined by his ministry to meet the CCAC’s objectives, including increasing protected hectares and protecting water resources. He also noted some challenges faced by his country, such as the need to act in areas such as sustainable waste management and sustainable livestock farming.

Germany noted the importance of providing an enabling framework oriented towards energy and resource recovery, and health and economic benefits. She emphasized that Germany takes significant actions to reduce SLCPs through bilateral cooperation, and noted that her country is financing a UN Environment-led initiative in the waste sector. She also highlighted the importance of tackling food waste in the context of climate mitigation through the municipal solid waste sector.

Switzerland highlighted that, with reasonable and sensible commitments, a lot can be done to benefit the health of humanity. He announced a contribution of CHF3.6 million to the CCAC Trust Fund over a four-year period from 2018-2021.

Australia outlined his country’s actions to incentivize emission reductions in the agriculture sector, such as through an Emissions Reduction Fund. He further noted that the country is working with local and state governments to incentivize methane waste to power activities. 

Rwanda encouraged countries to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and highlighted that many African countries are in the final stages of ratifying the Amendment. He stressed that countries should aspire to achieve more than the Amendment targets and highlighted the importance of energy efficiency.

Poland highlighted the ‘Stoves Summit: Addressing Black Carbon and Other Emissions from Stoves Globally,’ which took place in May 2017 in Warsaw, noting that discussions focused on coal burning and black carbon.

Norway outlined his government’s target of ensuring that by 2025, all new passenger cars sold are zero-emission vehicles. He also noted that the world cannot stop producing food, but can produce food in a smarter way with less food waste. He announced a EUR600,000 contribution to the CCAC Trust Fund.

The Netherlands supported the Bonn Communiqué and emphasized the power of CCAC countries to take action in addressing SLCPs. He urged countries to remember this power, which can help break through stalled negotiations under the UNFCCC process, and announced a EUR100,000 contribution to the CCAC Trust Fund.

The Philippines noted that vehicle emissions are the largest source of air pollution in his country and described the Philippines Department of Transport’s activities to reduce emissions from vehicles through, for instance, upgrading public utility vehicles to Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards.

Luxembourg said they were happy to have joined the CCAC, and outlined various actions taken by his country, such as banning open-air waste incineration, and introducing a “super bin system” for recycling and managing dangerous and hazardous wastes. He said his country would make an official announcement regarding a financial contribution to the CCAC Trust Fund in the near future.

WRI highlighted that most of the warming to date has come from SLCPs. Noting WRI’s recent paper on options for enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), including SLCPs, he promised that the Institute would continue its work in this area.

The World Bank highlighted the importance of the CCAC’s work towards reducing livestock emissions, which has contributed to the Bank’s work in this area, making possible projects to reduce emissions in meat and dairy production in Bangladesh, Uruguay and Ethiopia.

Morocco outlined his country’s efforts to reduce SLCPs, such as by reducing transport emissions, using cleaner energy, enforcing checks on polluting vehicles and banning the production and use of plastic bags.

The World Health Organization underlined, inter alia, the impact of air pollution on health, noting for instance that 36% of lung cancer incidence is a result of air pollution.

The Maldives said solid waste management is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing his country, and highlighted that the Maldives is working towards introducing innovative mechanisms to address this challenge. He noted that, for small island developing State, efforts to reduce SLCPs are important for achieving the Paris Agreement.

Mexico outlined some of her country’s activities, such as their GHG mitigation programme which they just started. She said the CCAC has demonstrated that its work can be instrumental in achieving the Paris Agreement, noting that for instance, addressing black carbon is an important contribution to common goals on climate change. She encouraged countries to continue working together to eliminate SLCPs and expressed her country’s intention to continue collaborating closely with the CCAC.

The European Investment Bank said the Bank has been actively working to convince and encourage multilateral development bank partners to support the CCAC. She noted that the Bank is setting aside EUR5 million in technical assistance to focus on material recovery and recycling, working with local pickers, particularly in African countries.

The Centre for Clean Air Policy recognized the CCAC’s leadership that has enabled the Centre to support a public-private partnership for biodigesters to help reduce methane from municipal solid waste, noting that this will be the first of its kind and a model.

The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies spoke on behalf of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). He said ICIMOD would be pleased to host another CCAC Scientific Steering Committee meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal. He also highlighted that the seed money provided by the CCAC was used to replace all 112 brick kilns in Kathmandu with new zig-zag technology.

ENDORSEMENT OF THE BONN COMMUNIQUÉ

Stéphane Dion, Canadian Ambassador to Germany and Special Envoy to the EU and Europe, introduced the Bonn Communiqué, which was subsequently adopted by the HLA.

The Bonn Communiqué, which notes the Coalition’s five-year anniversary, identifies reducing methane and black carbon emissions from agriculture and municipal solid waste as CCAC priorities for the year. Regarding agriculture, it highlights the Coalition’s resolve to find improved ways to monitor emissions from livestock, and to work with farmers to help eliminate unnecessary open burning through, inter alia, incentives for adopting alternative agricultural practices. The Communiqué highlights actions to reduce emissions from municipal solid waste at all levels through, inter alia, preventing and reducing food waste, working with the private sector, diverting organic waste from landfills, adopting measures to capture and use methane from landfills, and reducing open burning of waste.

The Communiqué also encourages more bilateral partnerships to support projects that reduce SLCPs, and notes the resolve to develop a robust pipeline of projects and to partner with multilateral development banks and other institutions to leverage financing at scale to further advance the CCAC’s objectives. In the Communiqué, CCAC leaders commit to: leverage political influence to help reduce and eliminate SLCP emissions; and share best practices and support technical cooperation to develop and implement relevant policies in the agriculture and municipal solid waste sectors.

CLOSING

Ambassador Dion underscored the co-benefits of emissions recuperation for profit generation, and called on everyone to learn from the good examples shared at the Assembly. He closed the meeting at 6:28pm.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP11) and 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP29): COP11 and MOP29 are scheduled to jointly meet to consider issues, such as HFC management and implementation, and other matters.  dates: 20-24 November 2017  location: Montreal, Canada  contact: Ozone Secretariat  phone: +254-20-762-3851  fax: +254-20-762-0335  email: ozone.info@unep.org  www: http://ozone.unep.org/en/meetings

Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum: Civil society will host the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, which facilitates the participation of civil society in the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) and associated meetings. This event will take place prior to UNEA-3, which is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4-6 December 2017, and will address the theme of pollution.  dates: 27-28 November 2017   location: Nairobi, Kenya  www: http://web.unep.org/environmentassembly/global-major-groups-and-stakeholders-forum 

4th Global Science Conference on Climate Smart Agriculture: The 4th Global Science conference on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) will be organized around the following theme: Catalysing local innovations and action to accelerate scaling up of CSA. The Conference will be hosted by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.  dates: 28-30 November 2017  location: Johannesburg, South Africa  contact: Conference Organizers  email: csa2015.montpellier@agropolis.fr  www:  http://csa2017.nepad.org/en/ 

UNEA-3: UNEA-3 will be held, on an exceptional basis, from 4-6 December 2017, with the high-level segment taking place on 5-6 December, and the Open Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives from 29 November to 1 December. The event will consider the overarching theme of pollution. Outcomes are expected to include: a political declaration on pollution, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); adopted resolutions and decisions that address specific dimensions of pollution; voluntary commitments by governments, private sector entities and civil society organizations to clean up the planet; and the Clean Planet Pledge, a collection of individual commitments to take personal action to end pollution in all its forms.  dates: 4-6 December 2017  venue:  UN Office in Nairobi, Kenya  contact: Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of Governing Bodies   phone: +254-20-7623431   e-mail:  unep.sgb@unep.org  www:  http://www.unep.org/environmentassembly/ 

Cities and Climate Change Science Conference: The aim of this conference is to: identify key research and knowledge gaps related to and stimulate researh on cities and climate change; and inspire global and regional research that will lead to peer-reviewed publications and scientific reports.Its outcomes are anticipated to support cities and citizens in building low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable cities towards implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.   dates: 5-7 March 2018  location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada  contact: Conference organizers   email:  https://www.citiesipcc.org/en/contact  www: http://www.citiesipcc.org/

Global Methane Forum: The Global Methane Forum will take place in April 2018, immediately preceding the CCAC Working Group meeting. Organized by the Global Methane Initiative, the CCAC, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Forum will focus on options for methane reduction and abatement activities.  dates: 16-18 April 2018  location: Toronto, Canada  www: http://www.globalmethane.org/ 

22nd Meeting of the CCAC Working Group: The next CCAC Working Group meeting will take place in Toronto, Canada.  dates: 19-20 April 2018  location: Toronto, Canada  www: http://www.ccacoalition.org/en