Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), have relatively short atmospheric lifetimes and a stronger warming effect per molecule than carbon dioxide. Reducing these pollutants is beneficial to reduce near-term warming and can be very cost-effective. For example, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere, and about 45% of today's net global warming is driven by methane emissions from human activities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has emphasized that reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century requires deep cuts in short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, which must be cut 34% below 2019 levels by 2030. Therefore, addressing short-lived climate pollutants is crucial for slowing the rate of global warming and achieving climate goals. Long-lived climate pollutants (LLCPs), such as carbon dioxide, have a much longer atmospheric lifetime and contribute significantly to global warming over a longer period. While short-lived climate pollutants have a strong near-term impact on global warming, long-lived climate pollutants are responsible for the majority of the warming over the long term. Reducing both short-lived and long-lived climate pollutants is essential for effectively addressing global warming and its impacts. In terms of environmental governance policies design, effective strategies to mitigate climate change should aim to reduce emissions of both short-lived and long-lived climate pollutants. This can be achieved through a combination of regulatory measures, market-based instruments, technological innovation, and international cooperation. For example, policies targeting SLCPs may include measures to reduce methane emissions from agriculture and waste management, regulate black carbon emissions from industrial processes, and phase out the use of high-global-warming-potential HFCs. On the other hand, policies addressing LLCPs often involve long-term planning, such as carbon pricing, renewable energy incentives, and energy efficiency standards, as well as international agreements such as the Paris Agreement. Integrating both short-lived and long-lived climate pollutant reduction measures into environmental governance policies is essential for comprehensive and effective climate action. By integrating measures to address both short-lived and long-lived climate pollutants into environmental governance policies, countries can work towards achieving their climate goals and mitigating the impacts of global warming in a more comprehensive and balanced manner.

This is Faezeh Borhani, she received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Tehran (UT), Tehran, Iran, in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Currently, she serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Tehran. She has been serving as the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Environment, Development and Sustainability of Springer Nature since 2021. Additionally, she so far has served as a reviewer for more than 10 journals of Springer and Elsevier publications. Faezeh Borhani has been an active participant in the International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Public Health (EPPH) in China. She was a keynote speaker and a member of the Technical Program Committee (TPC) in the 2022 and 2023 years of the conference. Her research interests include climate change, environmental concerns, short-lived climate pollutants, and governance policy design.