Black carbon (BC) is a triple threat as it warms the planet while severely degrading human and environmental health. In mitigating BC emissions, both immediate and sustained benefits can be achieved. These encompass improvements in public health outcomes, minimization of economic losses, reduction in climate warming, and the safeguarding of critical ecosystems, notably the Arctic and Himalayan regions.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for action to reduce BC emissions as part of a broader strategy to mitigate climate change, yet global efforts have lagged and emission reduction efforts are nowhere close to where they need to be to reach existing targets. Rapidly reducing BC is possible using existing technologies and solutions, however, it requires a coordinated effort on local, national, and international levels. Countries must seize the opportunity to incorporate BC reductions into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as they submit an updated NDC in 2025. Simultaneously, climate finance needs to prioritize projects that also target BC along with other climate pollutants. By addressing BC emissions, we can take significant strides toward mitigating climate change while also improving the lives of more than 2 billion people and saving trillions of dollars in economic losses resulting from BC.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Daniel Mendoza (University of Utah), Dr. Perry Hystad (Oregon State University), and the Project Drawdown Science team for their constructive reviews. We also wish to thank King Philanthropies for their generous support of Project Drawdown.