Summary report, 22 September 2014

The fifth High-Level Assembly of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC) took place on 22 September 2014 in New York, US, ahead of the UN Climate Summit 2014 that took place on 23 September 2014 also in New York. Attended by 197 representatives and partners, the Assembly convened at the New York Marriott East Side Hotel for a two-hour session.

The CCAC High-Level Assembly opened with a pre-recorded message from the UN Secretary-General before proceeding to consider a number of initiatives to be presented on the floor of the Climate Summit. Participants also heard an update on the science of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), considered a summary of the CCAC’s highlights and progress during 2014, and key deliverables for the future, and discussed its deliverables for consideration at the Summit. The Coalition also appointed new Working Group Co-Chairs, approved its new Steering Committee and increase in its membership, and extended its mandate for another five years to 2020.

Members accepted an invitation from Switzerland to host the next High-Level Assembly in Geneva in May 2015 on the margins of the World Health Assembly, when members will invite their health counterparts to join them in a dialogue on mutual concerns.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CCAC

The CCAC is a voluntary international coalition of governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and is the first ever global effort to undertake the collective challenge of reducing SLCPs. The CCAC was created in February 2012 by Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the US, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). It is open to countries and non-state actors wishing to join the coalition, and currently consists of 96 partners, with 43 country partners and 53 non-state partners.

SLCPs include black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and some 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 goals of the CCAC are to: raise awareness of the impacts and mitigation of SLCPs; enhance and develop new national and regional actions and mobilize support; promote best practices; and improve scientific understanding of pollutant impacts and mitigation strategies.

INITIATIVES: The CCAC partners have worked to identify quick-start actions to ensure rapid delivery of scaled-up climate and clean air benefits by reducing SLCPs. Initiatives to date include:

• reducing black carbon emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines;
• mitigating black carbon and other pollutants from brick production;
• mitigating SLCPs from the municipal solid waste sector;
• promoting HFC alternative technology and standards;
• accelerating methane and black carbon reductions from oil and natural gas production;
• addressing SLCPs from agriculture; and
• reducing SLCPs from cooking and domestic heating.

The Coalition is also pursuing a number of cross-cutting efforts to accelerate emission reductions across all SLCPs, including:

• financing SLCP mitigation;
• supporting national planning for action on SLCPs;
• undertaking regional assessments of SLCPs; and
• realizing health benefits from action on SLCPs in cities.

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE: The CCAC governance structure includes the High-Level Assembly (HLA), Working Group, Steering Committee, a Scientific Advisory Panel, and a Secretariat. The HLA consists of ministers of state partners and heads of non-state partners. It meets at least once a year to provide strategic guidance and leadership to the CCAC. The Working Group includes focal points from each CCAC partner. It convenes at least twice a year to oversee activities.

The CCAC also has a Steering Committee composed of the two Working Group Co-Chairs, four state parties, one representative of international organizations and one NGO representative. The Steering Committee meets every month to provide oversight support and recommendations to the HLA and Working Group. Members up to September 2014 were: Nigeria, Sweden, Canada, Jordan, Mexico, the US, the World Bank and the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. New members were approved during the High-Level Assembly, reported below.

The Scientific Advisory Panel consists of 14 scientists, including the UNEP Chief Scientist. The CCAC Secretariat is hosted by UNEP in its Division of Technology, Industry and Economics in Paris, France.

REPORT OF THE CCAC HIGH-LEVEL ASSEMBLY

On Monday morning, 22 September, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, welcomed participants to the CCAC High-Level Assembly on his own behalf and on behalf of the Co-Chair of the meeting, Lena Ek, Minister for Environment, Sweden. Steiner observed that the world will be looking to New York for a clear “leadership signal” on climate change action. He cited the CCAC as an example of what can be achieved by bringing partners together alongside the negotiating process.

In a recorded message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the rise in the number of CCAC partners from seven to almost 100. He highlighted their role in accelerating political momentum for action on the ground by “transforming science into action” with immediate effects on industry, energy, oil and gas production, recycling, brick production, cook stoves and urban air quality. He noted their contribution to the global climate target of limiting temperature rise to within 2 degrees Celsius.

OPENING: Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, opened the meeting on behalf of the host country, recalling the CCAC’s leadership during its two years in existence. She highlighted US domestic efforts to address methane and carbon dioxide emissions, and her particular interest in reducing black carbon pollution caused by cook stoves.

McCarthy informed participants of EPA grants to track pollution in an effort to monitor progress in reducing pollution and the impact on public health, and signaled US support for phasing out high-global-warming-potential HFCs. She also cited US President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which promises greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 30% compared to 2005 levels.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND NEW MEMBERS: Steiner invited members to approve the agenda and welcomed new CCAC members, Kenya, Guinea and Paraguay. He also welcomed the European Investment Bank, which was represented at the HLA for the first time as a partner.

Steiner outlined the agenda, describing the CCAC approach as a “fast forward experience.” He noted how, some months back, the UN Climate Summit had been considered a risk, adding that the Summit was about the kind of coalition represented by the CCAC. Steiner described the operating principles of the CCAC as: inclusivity or “a club of leaders”; complementarity insofar as climate change is tackled alongside the problem of SLCPs; and piloting with scaling up. He said the CCAC is at the forefront of “opening the eyes of policy to science.”

TIME TO ACT ON SLCP SCIENCE: Three members of the CCAC Scientific Advisory Panel, Drew Shindell, Ramanathan Veerabhadran and Andy Haines, outlined the latest science on SLCPs and outlined a new publication, ‘Time to Act to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants.’ The book outlines the science underpinning the CCAC’s work, setting out the most recent scientific assessments coordinated by UNEP. It also identifies a number of ‘win-win’ measures for near-term climate protection and clean air benefits, with the promise of multiple benefits for human wellbeing and lives saved, in addition to climate mitigation.

Veerabhadran briefed the Assembly on kerosene, the predominant fuel used in fuel-based lamps, explaining that it sits at the nexus of climate change and public health. He outlined its health impacts, including burns, poisoning of children, ingestion of particulate matter, and insufficient illumination for children’s education. He presented research findings showing that kerosene lamps are a major source of pure black carbon that acts as a positive climate forcer.

The Panel concluded that no other major black carbon source has such a combination of readily available off-the-shelf alternatives and definitive climate forcing effects, and recommended creating mechanisms to accelerate the transition to the win-win solution of low-carbon grid-based or off-grid electricity supply for lighting services.

FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC VISION FOR CCAC: Co-Chair of the High-Level Assembly, Lena Ek, Sweden, invited members to consider a five-year strategic vision for the CCAC. She recalled the origins of the CCAC as a fast response to a 2011 UNEP/WMO report that flagged substantial, rapid and multiple benefits if key measures were adopted by 2030 to protect the climate in the near term, save lives, and improve agricultural productivity, by pursuing an equal focus on climate and clean air.

Ek paid tribute to the CCAC’s ‘coalition of the working’ and noted that as part of the Coalition’s scaling up, there would be a series of major SLCP announcements at the Climate Summit. She also drew attention to an Executive Summary of the CCAC 2014 Annual Progress Report (HLA/SEP2014/2) and to its Revised Coalition Framework (HLA/SEP2014/4).

CCAC Working Group Co-Chair, Annika Markovic, Sweden, outlined the 2014 highlights of the CCAC:

• the CCAC has welcomed new partners and made significant progress on each of its four objectives;
• state partners are increasing their actions to reduce SLCPs domestically and are sharing experiences and policies;
• over two and a half years, CCAC partners have mobilized support for action on these pollutants within the Global Environment Facility, the UN Environment Assembly, the World Health Assembly, the Arctic Council, the Montreal Protocol, the UNFCCC, and from the UN Climate Summit;
• with 96 partners, over US$52 million in the Trust Fund, and seven high-impact sector-based initiatives and four cross-cutting initiatives under way, the CCAC continues to grow and expand its actions, and is ready to develop a five-year strategic plan, increase its fund, improve methods for quantifying the impact of its work, and expand its efforts with cities and the private sector;
• the achievements of the CCAC include a Heavy-Duty Diesel and Engines Initiative supporting regional and national regulatory processes; a Bricks Initiative to promote cleaner production and mitigate SLCPs; a Cookstoves Initiative to reduce SLCPs from household cooking; a Waste Initiative to mitigate SLCPs from municipal solid waste; an Oil and Gas Initiative to accelerate methane and black carbon reductions from their production; the promotion of HFC alternative technology and standards; and an Agriculture Initiative to address SLCPs from agriculture; and
• other work highlights on SLCPs such as financing mitigation, undertaking regional assessments, supporting national planning, and taking action on SLCPs in cities.

FIVE SLCP ACTION STATEMENTS FOR THE CLIMATE SUMMIT: Ek paid tribute to the CCAC Secretariat and indicated that five statements on SLCPs (HLA/SEP2014/3) will be taken forward to the Climate Summit to evidence the Coalition’s ability to raise awareness, and catalyze political will and action. She invited five partner representatives to outline the substance of joint statements to be made at the Summit.

Mark Boling, Southwestern Energy, outlined plans to launch an oil and gas methane partnership. He noted that the International Energy Agency had identified minimizing methane emissions from upstream oil and gas production as one of the top four key global mitigation opportunities to reduce energy sector greenhouse gas emissions. Boling said the partnership will offer partner companies a cost-effective and voluntary approach to reducing emissions.

Judy Glazer, Hewlett Packard, described the Global Green Freight Action Plan, pledging to work towards aligning and enhancing existing green freight efforts, and identifying ways to incorporate calculation of SLCPs into green freight progammes.

John Mandyck, UTC Building and Industrial Systems, outlined an initiative in support of a proposed amendment to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol, while emissions accounting and reporting would remain under the UNFCCC. He also welcomed the formation of a Global Cold Food Chain Council tasked with reducing the use and emissions of high-global-warming-potential HFCs and enhancing energy efficiency in the cold food chain.

A representative of Herbert Bautista, Mayor of Quezon City, the Philippines, outlined the City Action to Reduce Methane and Black Carbon from Municipal Solid Waste, which aims to reach 500 cities by 2015 and 1000 cities by 2020.

Bahijjahtu Abubakar, Working Group Co-Chair, Nigeria, introduced an action statement on agriculture, food security and nutrition, announcing a scaling up of the CCAC’s agriculture initiative in the first action-oriented global effort of its kind.

Responding to the joint statements, Yoshio Mochizuki, Minister of the Environment, Japan, welcomed the CCAC approach to combining greenhouse gas mitigation and SLCP reduction, highlighting the co-benefits of controlling emissions from municipal waste to protect public health. He noted Japan’s regional assistance on waste management and announced a US$2.5 million contribution to support the continuing work of the CCAC. He also supported an extension of the CCAC’s term until 2020.

Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change at the US Department of State, noted the “remarkable progress” made in growing the Coalition and taking real action through a collaborative partnership. He highlighted US support for the deliverables advanced by the CCAC to the Climate Summit and highlighted US action on SLCPs and greenhouse gases, including by supporting an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Stern offered a vision for the future of the CCAC that catalyzes real emission reductions, facilitates the development of national and sub-national SLCP policies, and mainstreams SLCPs in global finance and development streams.

Doris Leuthard, Minister and Federal Councilor, Switzerland, offered to host the next CCAC High-Level Assembly in 2015 and offered a US$2.2 million contribution for CCAC projects up to 2017.

Marcin Korolec, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment, Poland, noted the achievements of the CCAC since the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in Warsaw in 2013 and expressed confidence in the achievement of a new global climate change agreement at UNFCCC COP21 in Paris.

Nuritdin Inamov, the Russian Federation, welcomed the various initiatives discussed, and highlighted the International Green Shipping Conference held in Moscow earlier in the year.

Rémi Alkah-Kouadio, Minister of Environment, Urban Health and Sustainable Development, Côte D’Ivoire, promised to encourage other countries to join the Coalition and outlined national developments, including a study involving key ministers from the health, agriculture and transport sectors, and also involving education and civil society.

Tine Sundtoft, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, called for a continuation of the Coalition until at least 2022 and offered support for the proposed initiatives, including proposals to work towards the regulation of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. He announced an allocation of US$1.4 million to the CCAC, calling for a future focus on quantifying the impacts and results of their work.

The European Investment Bank, described as the largest provider of climate finance, looked forward to working with the CCAC. Jacob Werksman, European Commission, noted the CCAC’s leadership on domestic action and members’ willingness to act without waiting to see who else is prepared to act. He announced additional finance to the CCAC of €2 million.

Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, indicated that she would make an announcement on HFCs during her national statement at the Summit and noted that Canada was the first in the world to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity plants.

Maria Cristina Morales, Minister of Environment, Paraguay, announced plans to reduce pollution from urban transport. Amber Rudd, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Climate Change, UK, endorsed the oil and gas partnership, the HFC phase-out proposal, and the agriculture initiative.

The Co-Chair noted pledges worth US$8.2 million and the calls for an extension of the CCAC’s mandate.

APPROVAL OF CCAC WORKING GROUP CO-CHAIRS AND NEW STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Steiner noted that elections to the CCAC Steering Group are staggered by two-year terms. He also noted the increased membership following changes to the Coalition’s Framework: the Steering Committee now being composed of the two Working Group Co-Chairs, six state parties, two representatives of international organizations, two NGO representatives and the Secretariat.

Following consultations and calls for nominations, Steiner invited the Assembly to join him in welcoming new Working Group Co-Chairs, Hanne Bjurstrom, Climate Envoy, Norway (replacing Sweden) and Marcelo Mena Carrasco, Vice Minister, Chile (replacing Nigeria). The election was approved. Steiner thanked the outgoing Co-Chairs, Annika Markovic, Sweden, and Bahijjahtu Abubakar, Nigeria.

Announcing the result of elections to the Steering Committee, Steiner told members that Côte d’Ivoire will replace Mexico, the Netherlands will join as a new state member, and Canada has been re-elected. The US remains, while one slot remains open for a country from Asia. He announced that the NGO community had elected the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies. He added that the World Bank remains. These announcements were accepted by the Assembly.

CLOSE: Steiner thanked Switzerland for the offer to host the next Assembly in Geneva in 2015, on the margins of the World Health Assembly. He recalled that a future climate agreement had been described as a ‘global health agreement.” He closed the session, praising the CCAC’s momentum, commitment to science, and institutional, financial and other capacity.

CCAC HIGH-LEVEL RECEPTION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR CEOS

Immediately following the close of the High-Level Assembly, the CCAC held a high-level reception with private sector CEOs. Giving the keynote speech, Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group, addressed the reception on how his company “sees the world.”

Howard offered four numbers and four rules for “forward-thinking businesses” to remember in this time of climate change. He outlined the numbers as:

• one point five (1.5): the planetary space currently taken up by human activity;
• three billion: the number of people emerging from poverty;
• six degrees Celsius: the long-term temperature if the world remains on its current trajectory; and
• twelve: the number of cities with populations of one million at the beginning of the last century.

He then outlined the four rules as:

• “more for less”;
• “make it better”: design for sustainability and appeal;
• “go all in”: get 100% behind an idea or target; and
• “long, loud, legal”: a summary of preferred policies which produce an environment of certainty.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

CCAC Air Issues Forum - Re-capturing Momentum on Flaring and Venting, and Black Carbon Reductions: The Forum will feature a panel composed of industry decision-makers, government policy leaders and regulators, and scientists to address the current situation in Western Canada, future trends, economics and technology opportunities. Technology and innovation results and their application in Canada, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, China and Nigeria will be presented. Case studies of technology solutions developed and deployed in Western Canada will also be showcased, including field performance and economics. date: 25 September 2014 location: Calgary, Canada contact: Tannis Such phone: +403-218-7703 email: tsuch@ptac.org www: http://www.ptac.org

UN Committee on Agriculture: At its 24th session, the Committee on Agriculture will discuss a wide range of issues, including family farming, sustainable agriculture, food safety, governance, investment monitoring, sustainable livestock production, the global soil partnership and agricultural heritage systems. dates: 29 September to 3 October, 2014 location: Rome, Italy contact: Robert Gouantoueu Guei phone: +39 06 57051 email: fao-coag@fao.org www: http://www.fao.org/coag/en/

Brick Production Initiative meeting: This meeting will provide a platform for knowledge-sharing among the Brick Production Initiative partners, and forms part of the Initiative’s Technology Training Nodes for Latin America work stream on 27-30 October 2014. dates: tbc location: Cusco, Peru phone: +33 144 3714 50 email: ccac_secretariat@unep.org fao-coag@fao.org www: http://www.ccacoalition.org/

IPCC 40: The 40th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 40) will be held to adopt the Fifth Assessment Review (AR5) Synthesis Report and approve its Summary for Policy Makers. dates: 27-31 October 2014 location: Copenhagen, Denmark contact: IPCC Secretariat phone: +41-22-730-8208 e-mail:IPCC-Sec@wmo.int www: http://www.ipcc.ch/

Seventh International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG7): The scope of NCGG7 will be the innovations in the science, technology and policy aspects of controlling non-CO2 greenhouse gas and precursor emissions, such as methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, black carbon, aerosols, and tropospheric ozone. dates: 5-7 November 2014 location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands phone: +31 (0)30 - 232 29 89 e-mail: office@ncgg.info www: http://www.ncgg.info/

G20 Leader’s Summit 2014: The summit provides an opportunity for leaders to discuss a wide range of global economic issues and to use their collective power to improve people’s lives. The key themes of the summit include promoting stronger economic growth and employment outcomes and making the global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks. dates: 15-16 November 2014 location: Brisbane, Australia www: https://www.g20.org/

CCAC Webinar – Oil and Natural Gas initiative: Partners will discuss a collaborative model for accelerating the pace of development for new and better technologies that will improve oil and gas recovery, lower costs, make operations safer, and reduce environmental impact. date: November 2014 (tbc) location: tbd phone: +33 144 3714 50 email: ccac_secretariat@unep.org

Joint 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the 26th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 26): MOP 26 is scheduled to consider several issues, including nominations for critical- and essential-use exemptions and other draft decisions forwarded from the Open-Ended Working Group. dates: 17-21 November 2014 location: Paris, Ile-De-France, France contact: Secretariat phone: +254-20-762-3851 e-mail: ozoneinfo@unep.org www: http://conf.montreal-protocol.org/default.aspx

UNFCCC COP 20: The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC will take place in December 2014 in Peru. Venezuela has offered to host a pre-COP ministerial meeting. dates: 1-12 December 2014 location: Lima, Peru contact: UNFCCC Secretariat phone: +49-228 815-1000 e-mail: secretariat@unfccc.int www: http://unfccc.int/meetings/lima_dec_2014/meeting/8141.php

Policy and Advocacy Workshops – Brick Production Initiative: A Global Policy and Advocacy workshop and a Regional workshop for Asia will be held under the Brick Production Initiative. dates: December 2014 (tbc) location: Kathmandu, Nepal phone: +33 144 3714 50 email: ccac_secretariat@unep.org www: http://www.ccacoalition.org/