Connecting human rights and short-lived climate pollutants

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) has long been the exclusive focal point of climate change activism and regulatory efforts. While carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are without a doubt the most important cause of rising temperatures, anthropogenic emissions of other gaseous and aerosol substances also have an immense impact on the rate of global warming. Advances in knowledge on the prominent climate warming and human health effects of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as black carbon (BC), have pushed this type of emissions into a forefront global regulatory concern.