DEEP DIVE: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Strategies to Reduce Super Pollutants

The Biden-Harris Administration hosted the White House Super Pollutants Summit in Washington, D.C., on 23 July 2024. The summit included discussions and presentations from government officials, private sector companies, environmental agencies, and international organizations dedicated to tackling the role of super pollutants in climate change, as well as further discussions on a bilateral strategy with China for reducing atmospheric super pollutants, such as nitrous oxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (GHG).

“Half of today's climate change is caused by super pollutant greenhouse gases–including methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and nitrous oxide (N2O)–that are far more potent than carbon dioxide,” the White House said in a press release. “Slashing emissions of these super pollutants is the fastest way to tackle climate change and a critical complement to reducing carbon dioxide–while creating good-paying clean energy jobs, preventing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually due to respiratory illnesses, and boosting food security.”

The Role of Super Pollutants in Climate Change

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a particularly potent GHG. According to research published by Global Efficiency Intelligence in April 2023, 1 kilogram of N2O warms the atmosphere 273 times more than 1 kilogram of carbon dioxide. As a result, N2O is considered a super pollutant. It is most frequently found in adipic acid, a compound used to produce nylon 6,6, polyurethanes, polyester polyols, and as a reactant for plasticizers and lubricants.

Thirty-nine facilities around the world produce adipic acid, two-thirds of which are in the U.S. and China. Research from Inside Climate News published in 2023, which was a catalyst for the bilateral efforts announced at Tuesday's summit, revealed that the vast majority of N2O emissions come from 11 Chinese plants and one U.S. plant. Together, these plants emit approximately 500,000 metric tons of N2O, which is the equivalent of emissions from 31 million automobiles.

The research from Inside Climate News also revealed that reducing N2O emissions by 98% could be accomplished at very little cost using technologies already available at other adipic acid plants around the world.

Speaking at the summit, Isobel Coleman, Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), emphasized that reducing international emissions of super pollutants like methane has a significant impact on climate change and health around the world. “Cutting methane emissions can drive significant development gains,” said Coleman. “It means improving people's health – as methane emissions worsen smog and trigger asthma and bronchitis. It means increasing global food security – because one of the most powerful methods for reducing methane emissions is ensuring food gets on people's plates instead of rotting in landfills. And it means reducing energy prices when we work with gas companies to detect and repair methane leaks in their pipelines.”

Private Industry Steps Up

U.S. industries will play a critical role in reducing emissions of super pollutants. Ascend Performance Materials, the largest U.S. producer of adipic acid, committed to abating more than 99% of total N2O from its operations. “We fundamentally believe that reducing our emissions is the right thing to do and we are aggressively tackling it,” said Ascend CEO Phil McDivitt. “Across the industry, more needs to be done to address emissions and companies need tools to help them accelerate their efforts.”

ClimeCo, the largest developer of N2O abatement projects in the U.S., announced new emissions reductions projects that will reduce nitrous oxide emissions at three of its facilities by approximately 95%.

U.S. and China Cooperation on Climate Change

The summit marks the latest development in an ongoing bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. On 14 November 2023, President Biden and President Xi Jinping affirmed their commitment to cooperation in addressing the energy transition, reducing emissions of methane and other non-CO2 GHG emissions, supporting the circular economy and resource efficiency, and preventing forest loss.

On 8-9 May 2024, the U.S.-China Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, led by Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta and PRC Special Envoy for Climate Change Liu Zhenmin, met to further discuss their commitments to reducing global emissions. Both countries stated their intention to host a summit on reducing methane and non-CO2 greenhouse gases at COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024.

Further Efforts to Reduce Super Pollutants

The summit also featured announcements and discussions relating to a number of additional efforts to address super pollutants and their impact on climate change.

A collaborative agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Global Monitoring Lab and United Airlines will support using commercial aircraft to monitor pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane to improve our understanding of GHG emissions.

The U.S. State Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will use 10 monitoring systems at U.S. embassies and consulate buildings to monitor ozone, which will improve climate and air quality satellites and help to develop a new tropospheric ozone forecasting model.

Finally, Carbon Mapper, a public-private partnership, will launch its first Carbon Mapper Coalition satellite to detect methane super-emitters at facility level from space.

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