New Delhi: At the COP29 climate summit, experts urged India to focus on reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like methane and black carbon, which greatly contribute to air pollution and global warming. These pollutants have a short-term but potent impact on the climate and air quality. SLCPs include black carbon, methane, ground-level ozone and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
New Delhi’s air quality reached “severe” levels for the first time this season, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 418 on Wednesday. Zerin Osho, Director of the India Programme at the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) and Durwood Zaelke, IGSD President, mentioned the importance of SLCP reduction strategies in combating both pollution and climate change, PTI reported.
‘SLCPs offer crucial time to address CO₂ emissions’
Zaelke said that SLCPs account for nearly half of current warming and can offer a quick cooling effect. He said that addressing SLCPs could provide critical time to mitigate longer-term CO₂ emissions as global temperatures approach the 1.5°C threshold.
Osho said the substantial risks SLCPs pose to India’s economy, particularly its informal labour sector and agriculture. Extreme heat has already caused the loss of 34 million jobs and changing monsoon patterns threaten food security, both domestically and in global markets reliant on India’s exports.
Osho urges regional cooperation and funding
Osho called for an “air shed approach” to pollution control. He suggesting coordinated policies across regions sharing similar climate characteristics, especially as pollutants from neighbouring states often impact Delhi’s air quality. She also advocated for financing strategies, citing India’s successful LED bulb program as a model for adopting SLCP-reducing technologies like electric buses and clean cookstoves.
While India has made huge progress in SLCP reduction, including the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs, its efforts often go unrecognised globally. Osho urged India to engage more actively in international dialogues on SLCPs to secure technical support and funding, particularly through the India Carbon Market, which could drive further methane reduction projects.
