Swedish efforts to reduce black carbon,
methane and ground-level ozone
April 2012
INFORMATION LEAFLET FROM THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
The Swedish Government is working actively to
reduce emissions of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants,
SLCP. Together with other countries Sweden has initiated a global coalition that is working together to
reduce emissions of black carbon, methane,
ground-level ozone and HFCs. This work complements efforts to reduce emissions of long-lived
greenhouse gases, which are primarily carried out
within the framework of the UN Climate Convention.
A reduction of SLCPs in the atmosphere would have a
major impact on air quality, health, climate and food
security.
Sweden’s active role
Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived
Climate Pollutants is a coalition initiated by Sweden
together with the UNEP, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana,
Mexico and the United States. The coalition is working
to increase knowledge of the effects of short-lived climate pollutants and to stimulate regional and national
measures. In 2012, Sweden is providing SEK 1.4 million
to the Coalition’s secretariat and SEK 10 million to the
UNEP’s fund to finance programmes for reducing the
occurrence of SLCPs.
This leaflet gives an overview of other initiatives in
which Sweden helps with operations or funding.
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC)
The GACC is an alliance for introducing clean stoves
in developing countries. It consists of some 175 partners. The programme aims to reduce sickness and mortality due to air pollution from food preparation over
open fires in developing countries. Sweden will initially provide SEK 5 million to GACC and will consider
providing additional support. Other projects are:
• Innovations Against Poverty (IAP)
• African Rural Energy Enterprise Development
(AREED)
• Rural Energy Agency in Tanzania (REA)
• National Agriculture and Livestock Extension
Programme in Kenya
• EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility
(EUEI PDF)
Atmospheric Brown Cloud in South Asia (ABC)
Sweden helps co-finance ABC, an UNEP-led regional
South Asian programme. The programme includes Project
Surya, which involves installing improved small household
stoves in Indian villages. One outcome of the project is
major reductions in the levels of black carbon in indoor
environments, which has had a positive impact on health.
Regional Air Pollution in Developing Countries
(RAPIDC)
Sweden is participating in the work carried out by
RAPIDC, together with intergovernmental organisations
and research organisations in Asia and Africa. The
RAPIDC project is being carried out to facilitate and support international cooperation on air pollution issues and
to develop relevant knowledge to assist in decisionmaking.
International network on gender and sustainable energy
(ENERGIA)
Sweden supports the ENERGIA network, which is a
knowledge centre aimed at increasing understanding of
the links between energy and the role of women in
society. Part of ENERGIA’s activities focuses on improved
stoves, and it collaborates with the Global Alliance for
Clean Cookstoves.
Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum (GAPF)
Sweden is co-financing GAPF, which is an informal partnership between governmental and non-governmental
organisations. The aim of the partnership is to support
the exchange of information on, and the development of
solutions for, pollution-related problems. The partnership
promotes effective cooperation between nations at regional and global level. GAPF also works to integrate climate
and pollution issues and so make it easier to take action
against SLCPs.
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
The ICIMOD is a regional learning and knowledge sharing centre based in Katmandu, Nepal, comprised of eight
member countries from the Himalayan region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal
and Pakistan). A programme for regional planning is part
of the support provided by Sweden.
International Training Programmes (ITP)
Sweden conducts international courses on various themes
called ITP. Within the framework of the courses, projects
for change are conducted that focus on better stoves and
more efficient use of fuel for food preparation. Projects
have been carried out in India and Chile.
Other initiatives to limit SLCP emissions
Sweden is also taking other initiatives to limit SLCP
emissions both at home and abroad.
In 2011, the Arctic Council started a programme under
the Arctic Contaminants Action Programme (ACAP) to
support concrete measures to reduce SLCP emissions in
the Arctic countries. Sweden has provided SEK 1.5 million. Within the framework of the Arctic Council, Sweden, in its capacity as chair, is pushing to reduce the
occurrence of SLCPs in the Arctic.
International agreements under the UN’s International Maritime Organization, the IMO , are important for
tackling black carbon emissions from shipping. In 2010,
Sweden, together with Norway and the United States,
submitted proposals to the IMO on measures to reduce
black carbon emissions from shipping in the Arctic. In
the longer term, Sweden hopes to persuade other IMO
Member States to agree to such regulations.
Within the framework of the UN Convention on Longrange Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), which
regulates emissions of air pollutants at regional level,
Sweden has urged and gained support for black carbon
to be included as an issue in decisions on a new agreement on emissions reductions up until 2020. Emissions
can only be reduced on the basis of measurement data
and emission inventories of satisfactory quality. Sweden is therefore contributing to the methods development project that is now starting under the Convention. Sweden is also pursuing the same line in the EU in
connection with the current review of EU air quality
policy.
READ MORE
The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
(SMHI) has been instructed to coordinate Swedish
action on short-lived climate pollutants. For more
information on work with SLCP in Sweden,
see: www.slcf-info.se.
More information about the Coalition:
www.unep.org/ccac
Production: Ministry of the Envronment
Photo: Anette Abresparr Åberg
Print by: XGS Grafisk service,
Stockholm, April 2012
Article no. M2012.05
SE-103 33 Stockholm • Ph +46 8 405 10 00
www.sweden.gov.se/environment