The super pollutant country action accelerator

A new model for implementation.

Climate change demands urgent action on multiple fronts and tackling super pollutants is among the most powerful levers available.

Super pollutants – methane, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – are responsible for up to 45 per cent of current warming. Many are also short-lived climate pollutants with a disproportionate impact on near-term temperatures. Rapid reductions in these emissions offer an immediate opportunity to slow warming, forming a central pillar of climate action.

Super pollutants also offer one of the most important opportunities for integrated action in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Beyond their immediate climate benefits, addressing super pollutants improves air quality, public health and development. By mid-century, action could prevent millions of premature deaths and save tens of millions of tonnes of crops annually.

In recent years, governments have started to focus on super pollutants. Countries are increasingly including them in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and dedicated governance frameworks have emerged to drive coordinated global action. These include the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment, now with 173 ratifications, the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), now with 160 signatories, the Global Cooling Pledge backed by 75 countries and 225 cities and the joint announcement on sectoral action on black carbon launched at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). Despite this growing political momentum, country-level implementation does not match the pace and scale required. For example, since the GMP was created in 2021, methane concentration has increased from approximately 1887 parts per billion (ppb) to 1945 ppb in 2025.

This begs the question that if action on super pollutants delivers multiple benefits and countries are increasingly making commitments, why is progress falling short?

The answer lies not in a lack of political will, but in the type of support available to help countries translate their commitments into action. To meet this need, the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator (SPCAA) was launched at COP30. This briefing sets out why the SPCAA is the right model for delivering implementation support and what steps are needed to fulfil its potential.