Chapter 06 · Governance & regulationRegulation & International Instruments
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
Definition
An international voluntary partnership, founded in 2012 and convened within the UN Environment Programme, of more than 190–200 governments, intergovernmental organisations, businesses and civil-society bodies committed to reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs): methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone — pollutants that drive both near-term warming and air pollution.
References
2012 founding; UNEP convening; 190+ partners; SLCP scope; Global Methane Pledge secretariat and M-RAP roles.
200+ partners; reduction targets (methane ≥40% by 2030 vs 2010; black carbon up to 70%; HFCs 99.5% by 2050); trust-fund model.
Overview
What it means
The CCAC carved out the SLCP agenda that the CO₂-centric UNFCCC process had neglected, grounded in the 2011 UNEP/WMO black-carbon and ozone assessment. It promotes concrete global reduction goals — at least 40% methane by 2030 versus 2010, up to 70% black carbon by 2030, and 99.
5% of HFCs by 2050 — and couples advocacy with implementation: a dedicated trust fund finances country action, scientific assessments (notably the 2021 Global Methane Assessment) set agendas, and the Coalition serves as secretariat of the Global Methane Pledge and runs the Methane Roadmap Action Programme.
Once suspected of distracting from CO₂ mitigation, it is now treated as complementary to the UNFCCC regime, with dozens of countries integrating SLCP measures into their NDCs.
How it is used
Governments use CCAC support to develop methane action plans and SLCP-integrated NDCs; sector initiatives (oil and gas, waste, agriculture, cooling) implement abatement measures; the science-policy interface (SLCP co-benefits) informs national air-quality and climate strategies.
Why it matters
Cutting SLCPs is the fastest available lever for slowing near-term warming; the CCAC is the institutional home of that agenda and the operating arm behind the Global Methane Pledge.