Parallel Pursuit of Near-Term and Long-Term Climate Mitigation

Two separate treaties are needed to address the unique climate roles of long-lived versus medium- and short-lived pollutants. It is well accepted that reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions is the lynchpin of any long-term climate stabilization strategy, because of the long lifetime of CO 2 in the atmosphere ( 1 ). However, a focus on CO 2 may prove ineffective in the near term without comparable attention to pollutants with shorter lifetimes ( 2 ).