California Adopts Strict Rules for Methane Emissions

Scientific American -------- California climate regulators yesterday approved rules to slash methane, refrigerants and soot particles that are among the most potent contributors to global warming. The so-called short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), which spend less time in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide but trap far more heat during their lifetimes, accounted for 42 percent of California's greenhouse gas emissions in 2013. But they were left out of the state's first set of climate regulations. The rules approved yesterday are aimed at meeting targets that the state Air Resources Board (ARB) first set in 2015: a 40 percent reduction in methane and fluorinated gases and a 50 percent reduction in non-forest black carbon emissions by 2030, below 2013 levels. The rules go into effect in January 2018. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.