On the one-year anniversary of the Trump Administration withdrawing from the global Paris Agreement, seventeen U.S. Governors, representing over 40% of the nation’s population, announced a new wave of climate actions on June 1 as part of their efforts with the United States Climate Alliance (USCA). States that are part of this initiative are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont,Virginia, Washington and the territory of Puerto Rico.
Developing a short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) plan is part of a new wave of climate action initiatives. Those initiatives include:
- Reducing Super Pollutants (HFC’s)
- Mobilizing Financing for Climate Projects
- Grid Modernization
- Renewable Energy
- Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards
- Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure
- Increasing Carbon Storage in our Landscapes
- Deploying Clean Transportation
The USCA pointed out to strategies which reduce HFC emissions as “those technologies that promote more energy efficient systems that lower costs for businesses and households, support the leadership of U.S. businesses developing alternatives to HFCs, and increase the need for skilled technicians and system designers.”
As an example, the state of New York has directed state departments to reduce HFC emissions through regulatory, incentive, and capacity building. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation is monitoring the initiative and other agencies have been directed to work on this item. In his 2018 State of the State, New York Governor Cuomo directed state agencies to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce HFC emissions through a suite of regulatory, incentive, and capacity-building programs.
The Alliance said it “invites all national and subnational jurisdictions, businesses and other actors to bring commitments to reduce short-lived climate pollutants to the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, California this September.” More information can be found here. http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/.