This event will highlight Pacific leadership on reducing methane in order to slow the rate of climate change and deliver strong co-benefits for agriculture and public health.   Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, responsible for up to one third of present global warming. Emitted mainly from fossil fuels, agriculture and waste management, methane is also a traditional air pollutant that drives the formation of tropospheric ozone (smog), which lowers air quality, harms human health and reduces crop yields. Due to methane's short atmospheric lifetime, reducing methane emissions can rapidly diminish its negative impacts. In fact, reducing methane is likely the most effective way to slow the near-term rate of global warming, lower Earth's peak temperature and prevent self-amplifying feedbacks that could push warming past humanity's ability to constrain it. This side event will discuss Pacific Leadership on methane mitigation, including efforts by Pacific island countries and the Pacific Island Forum, as well as other emerging international efforts, such as the UN Secretary General's Call to Action on Methane, the CCACs new Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator and Pacific countries' leadership in the global transition away from fossil fuels.

Venue

Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion

Speakers

High-Level Officials from Pacific Small Island Developing States and well as science and policy experts