September 13, 2019

Dear Friend,

We are in the middle of a climate crisis and we need to take immediate action to protect our planet.

I introduced the Super Pollutants Act of 2019, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that aims to reduce the most potent types of short-lived climate pollutants – also known as super pollutants – in the U.S. and abroad.

Rep. Peters speaks at a press conference on the Super Pollutants Act. 

Watch the live-stream of the press conference here.

The science behind the bill.

UCSD research at work

Inspired by the work of UCSD’s own Dr. Veerbhadran Ramanathan, the Super Pollutants Act would reduce three specific super pollutants: black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and methane. These greenhouse gases are some of the most harmful pollutants in our atmosphere and can add several thousand times more heat to global warming than carbon dioxide.

Dr. Ramanthan of UC San Diego speaks about his scientific work that inspired the Super Pollutants Act.

The good news is that super pollutants are short-lived and only remain in the atmosphere for a short period compared to carbon dioxide. That means curbing super pollutants is the single fastest way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and slow the rate of climate change. Dr. Ramanathan’s research shows that enacting the Super Pollutants Act could avoid one and a half degrees of warming by the end of the century.

Restoring U.S. climate leadership.

Deploying U.S.-led efforts at home and abroad

The Super Pollutants Act supports U.S.-led domestic and international efforts to suppress the release of methane from oil and gas sites, implement the International Maritime Organization’s efforts to reduce black carbon emissions from the global shipping industry, accelerate technological innovation away from HFCs, and expand access to innovative climate-mitigating technologies.

Our intent is to set achievable goals to reach net zero emissions by 2050, deploy proven technology to reverse the rate of climate change as soon as possible, and restore U.S. leadership on climate.

Read more about the bill here.