6 days ago
16
U.S. diplomats, with support from ClimeCo and other companies, have negotiated a reduction in nitrous oxide emissions at Chinese chemical plants, a major win in the battle against climate super pollutants.
Phil McKenna reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- ClimeCo, a Pennsylvania-based company, has partnered with four Chinese factories to nearly eliminate nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas from nylon production.
- Nitrous oxide has 273 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide and is the third largest contributor to climate change, behind carbon dioxide and methane.
- Emission reductions from the Chinese plants could cut the equivalent of 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, likened to removing 11 million cars from the road.
Key quote:
“That is over 50 coal-fired power plants’ worth of emissions every year, year on year, that we simply can get at by working together.”
— Rick Duke, the U.S. deputy special envoy for climate
Why this matters:
Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from industrial sources could prevent millions of premature deaths linked to air pollution. These efforts highlight the potential for public-private partnerships in tackling super pollutants that drive global warming.
