ISLAND NATIONS SEE ISLANDS OF SUCCESS IN COPENHAGEN DEAL

Copenhagen Climate Talks; Islands Make Progress on Non-CO2 Strategies,
The Fast, Forgotten 50% of Climate Warming

"Island States gained ground at the climate talks in Copenhagen for their fast-action campaign to reduce non-CO2 forcers, including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and black carbon, which are responsible for 50% of climate forcing. The fast-action strategies were among key issues still being negotiated before the heads of government arrived, and that were carried forward to next year’s negotiations…

"A key aspect of follow up…[is the] forgotten 50% of warming caused by non-CO2 gases and aerosols…that can be solved quickly…[Black carbon experts] calculate that fast action on the non-CO2 50% could offset as much as 40 years worth of CO2 emissions, and delay the time when dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system would otherwise be reached."

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"…[T]he non-CO2 agenda in the 2009 G8 Leaders Declaration…commits to fast-action to reduce black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons…[T]he 2009 North American Leaders Declaration…commits to reducing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol…[T]he 2009 Tromsø Declaration by the Arctic Council…highlights the negative effects of black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone on Arctic snow and ice…and…two editorials published in 2009 by Nature…emphasize the importance of looking beyond CO2 and endorse fast, near-term mitigation opportunities to avoid abrupt climate change, including strategies to reduce HFCs and black carbon and other short-lived climate forcers.

"Lead by the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), island States are promoting two related fast-action strategies under the UN climate convention. The first is to launch a work program on fast-action mitigation immediately. Emissions of black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone – all short-lived climate forcers - would be targeted…The importance of addressing black carbon for a number of reasons including its significant contributions to climate change, ice melt, and respiratory diseases, is gaining steady support…Nancy Sutley, head of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality, announced a US $5 million fund to begin reducing black carbon emissions in the Arctic…"

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"The second fast-action strategy proposed by the islands is to eliminate production and consumption of one of the six greenhouse gases—hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs—using the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty. The Montreal Protocol is widely regarded as the best environmental treaty, having already phased out 96 other chemicals similar to HFCs, which in addition to rescuing the ozone layer, also resulted in up to 222 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in climate mitigation between 1990 and 2010…

"Phasing out production and consumption of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol would result in climate benefits of up to 170 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent by 2050…"