Climate and Clean Air Coalition

Climate and Clean Air Coalition
Name	Climate and Clean Air Coalition
Abbreviation	CCAC
Formation	2012
Type	International partnership
Headquarters	United Nations Environment Programme
Region served	Global

Contents

Climate and Clean Air Coalition The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is an international partnership addressing short-lived climate pollutants through coordinated action among states, United Nations Environment Programme, European Union, United States Department of State, Ministry of Environment (Canada), and other actors. It unites national governments, subnational authorities, intergovernmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, and industry to reduce emissions of black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons, linking work with Paris Agreement, Montreal Protocol, Sustainable Development Goals, World Health Organization, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments.

Overview and Objectives

The Coalition’s objectives include accelerating mitigation of black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons in line with goals articulated by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, G20, G7 Summit, High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and regional bodies such as the African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It promotes technology transfer with partners including United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and African Development Bank to improve air quality, protect public health as highlighted by World Health Organization studies, and contribute to near-term climate forcing reductions cited in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

The Coalition was launched in 2012 following diplomatic discussions involving representatives from Sweden, United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, and Norway and was announced at forums attended by delegations from India, China, Brazil, South Africa, and Japan. Its formation built on prior multilateral efforts under the auspices of United Nations Environment Programme and negotiations related to the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment. Early meetings involved experts from Environmental Protection Agency (United States), Health Canada, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and nongovernmental organizations such as World Resources Institute, Clean Air Task Force, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Governance structures link state partners, non-state partners, and a secretariat hosted at United Nations Environment Programme with steering committees and science advisory panels including representatives from United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and regional commissions like the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Membership comprises national governments such as Germany, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, subnational entities like California, New York (state), and municipal partners including Mexico City and Jakarta. Non-state members include World Health Organization, World Bank, Global Environment Facility, ClimateWorks Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and industry associations.

Programs address sectors including waste management, oil and gas, brick production, shipping, aviation, and agriculture, with initiatives coordinated alongside International Maritime Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Campaigns include methane mitigation linked to OPEC-related energy dialogues, black carbon reductions in regions such as the Arctic Council area and Himalaya-adjacent states, HFC phase-down cooperation aligned with the Kigali Amendment implementation, and urban air-quality projects connected to C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. Technical work draws on modeling from European Space Agency, measurement protocols developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and field projects supported by Asian Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.

Financing mechanisms involve contributions from donor states including Norway, Sweden, United States, and Japan, philanthropic grants from Bloomberg Philanthropies and ClimateWorks Foundation, and project funding coordinated with multilateral institutions such as the Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund for country-level implementation. Partnerships with corporations, academic institutions like Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and think tanks such as International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis underpin capacity-building and technology transfer, while collaboration with standards bodies like International Organization for Standardization shapes measurement and verification.

Monitoring uses satellite observations from European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration alongside in-situ networks coordinated with World Meteorological Organization and data analyses contributed by NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and model intercomparisons in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. The Coalition issues synthesis reports, technical briefs, and country progress updates shared with forums including Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the United Nations Environment Assembly, and it informs national submissions to Nationally Determined Contributions processes with methodologies consistent with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidance.

Critics from academic institutions such as University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Harvard University and NGOs including Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have argued the Coalition faces challenges in translating pledges into sustained emissions reductions, ensuring transparency comparable to reporting under Paris Agreement, and mobilizing sufficient finance through mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and Global Environment Facility. Operational hurdles include aligning priorities among diverse members such as China, India, and Russia, addressing enforcement in sectors regulated by International Maritime Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization, and filling data gaps noted by World Health Organization and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reviewers.

Category:International environmental organizations