At Paris Talks, Experts Cite Risk From Industrial Coolants, Methane

"As world leaders grapple with how to cut global emissions of carbon dioxide, diplomats in Paris are recording progress in combating other pollutants that scientists believe are contributing powerfully to rising temperatures.

A coalition of governments and private businesses has agreed to take up a series of initiatives to limit so-called 'short-lived climate pollutants,' ranging from industrial chemicals used in refrigerators to soot particles given off by diesel engines. While emissions of these pollutants are small compared to carbon dioxide, some are vastly more powerful, pound for pound, in trapping heat in the Earth’s lower atmosphere.

Participants in the efforts say controlling these pollutants could offer a way to slow global warming in the coming decades while giving scientists and policymakers more time to tackle the bigger challenge of curbing carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil fuels."

Joby Warrick reports for the Washington Post December 5, 2015.