Sec. 205. Short-lived climate pollutants
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In this section: The term high-GWP HFC means newly manufactured hydrofluorocarbons with a global warming potential calculated over a 100-year period of greater than 150, as described in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The term short-lived climate pollutants means— black carbon; methane; and high-GWP HFC. The President shall direct the United States representatives to appropriate international bodies and conferences (including the United Nations Environment Programme, the UNFCCC, the Montreal Protocol, the Arctic Council, the Group of 7, the Group of 20, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Arctic Council, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, and the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture) to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States, consistent with the broad foreign policy goals of the United States, to advocate that each such body or conference— commit to significantly increasing efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants; invest in and develop alternative energy sources, industrial and agricultural processes, appliances, and products to replace sources of short-lived climate pollutants; enhance coordination with the private sector— to increase production and distribution of clean energy alternatives, industrial processes, and products that will replace sources of short-lived climate pollutants; to develop action plans to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants from various private sector operations; to encourage best technology, methods, and management practices for reducing short-lived climate pollutants; to craft specific financing mechanisms for the incremental costs associated with mitigating short-live climate pollutants; and to grow economic opportunities and develop markets, as appropriate, for short-lived climate pollutants trading, capture, and other efforts that support economic growth using low and zero carbon energy sources; provide technical assistance to foreign regulatory authorities and governments to remove unnecessary barriers to investment in short-lived climate mitigation solutions, including— the use of safe and affordable clean energy; the implementation of policies requiring industrial and agricultural best practices for capturing or mitigating the release of methane from extractive, agricultural, and industrial processes; and climate assessment, scientific research, monitoring, and technological development activities; develop and implement clear, accountable, and metric-based targets to measure the effectiveness of projects described in paragraph (4); and engage international partners in an existing multilateral forum (or, if necessary, establish through an international agreement a new multilateral forum) to improve global cooperation for— creating tangible metrics for evaluating efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants; developing and implementing best practices for phasing out sources of short-lived climate pollutants, including expanding capacity for innovative instruments to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants at the national and subnational levels of foreign countries, particularly countries with little capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deploy clean energy facilities, and countries that lack sufficient policies to advance such development; encouraging the development of standards and practices, and increasing transparency and accountability efforts for the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants; integrating tracking and monitoring systems into industrial processes; fostering research to improve scientific understanding of— how high concentrations of short-lived climate pollutants affect human health, safety, and our climate; changes in the amount and regional concentrations of black carbon and methane emissions, based on scientific modeling and forecasting; effective means to sequester short-lived climate pollutants; and other related areas of research the United States representatives deem necessary; encouraging the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other international finance organizations— to prioritize efforts to combat short-lived climate pollutants; and to enhance transparency by providing sufficient and adequate information to facilitate independent verification of their climate finance reporting; encouraging observers of the Arctic Council (including India and China) to adopt mitigation plans consistent with the findings and recommendations of the Arctic Council’s Framework for Action on Black Carbon and Methane; collaborating on technological advances in short-lived climate pollutant mitigation, sequestration and reduction technologies; and advising foreign countries, at both the national and subnational levels, regarding the development and execution of regulatory policies, services, and laws pertaining to reducing the creation and the collection and safe management of short-lived climate pollutants.
Congress recognizes the success of the United States Climate Alliance and the greenhouse gas reduction programs and strategies established by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership. The Secretary of State shall work with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to build partnerships, as appropriate, with the governments of foreign countries and to support international efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants and combat climate change.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress that— assesses the potential for negotiating new international agreements, new targets within existing international agreements or cooperative bodies, and the creation of a new international forum to mitigate globally short-lived climate pollutants to support the efforts described in subsection (b); describes the provisions that could be included in such agreements; assesses potential parties to such agreements; describes a process for reengaging with Canada and Mexico regarding the methane targets agreed to at the 2016 North American Leaders’ Summit; and describes a process for reengaging with the countries of the Arctic Council regarding the methane and black carbon targets that were negotiated in 2015 through the Framework for Action.
In negotiating any relevant international agreement with any country or countries after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall— consider the impact short-lived climate pollutants are having on the increase in global average temperatures and the resulting global climate change; consider the effects that climate change is having on the environment; and ensure that the agreement strengthens efforts to eliminate short-lived climate pollutants from such country or countries.