We have a high-impact climate solution—and you can help

By Taraneh Arhamsadr, Tradewater Communications Team ﻿
These days, it can be hard to digest all the incoming data points on climate change, even in communities like We Don't Have Time, where we are already engaged with the issues. 
What we are going to say here may seem counterintuitive: The climate crisis is more severe than we realize, and the technology we need to significantly reduce atmospheric carbon to solve the climate crisis is not yet ready (on a global scale).  
However, there is a way forward that can not only give us more time, but also provide immediate benefits for our planet.  
We’re running out of time: By now, many of you have seen the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is – in short – very concerning. 
They previously determined that we must limit global warming to no more than 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial times to prevent catastrophic climate change, but this report finds that we will surpass that number by 2030. 
It’s clearer now than ever that if we want to save our planet, it’s going to take everyone. Governments, businesses, global policy makers, NGOs and even individuals all have a role to play in giving our planet a fighting chance.  
Carbon dioxide removal technology isn't ready: Jonathan Foley, Executive Director for Project Drawdown, recently published a LinkedIn post that should serve as a massive clarion call to all who are concerned about climate change. He writes: “Carbon removal is not yet a real climate solution. So let’s stop pretending it is. Instead, we need to focus on stopping emissions.” 
But there is something that we can do: Step up the global efforts to permanently prevent highly dangerous non-CO2 gases from being released into the atmosphere.  
The team at Tradewater is playing its part in fighting climate change by tackling this urgent issue that few others are focused on. 
You may not know this, but non-CO2 gases have an outsized effect on global warming and have accounted for nearly half of all warming from human activity since 1970. And once non-CO2 gases are released into the atmosphere, they quickly do their damage and cannot be removed through nature-based solutions or other technologies. While the Montreal Protocol banned the production of old refrigerants that are ozone depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), they didn’t include an end-of-life mandate for these gases. So today, over 16 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in the form of old refrigerants are distributed around the world and in need of collection and destruction.  
Scientists at the IPCC have determined that every scenario for achieving the 1.5 degree target outlined above requires an immediate reduction of non-CO2 gases. 
Stopping the release of these gases gives us more time for longer-term strategies focused on CO2 reductions and removals to be developed, adopted, and implemented globally.  
However, there’s another obstacle to the global reduction of non-CO2 gases.  
There isn’t nearly enough funding to tackle this issue — not even close. Even though leading climate experts have found that addressing non-CO2 gases is critical in preventing catastrophic climate change, there remains a lack of focus and awareness in this area – and therefore a lack of funding – compared to other climate solutions. 
Thankfully, we’ve identified a solution – one that everyone can play a role in – that utilizes high quality and trustworthy carbon credits to provide the necessary funding for this expensive and challenging, but necessary, work.   
We are inviting our allies in the We Don’t Have Time community to Give One Back to the planet this Earth Day and help us expand our critical work with a climate investment that is highly impactful. 
There are many ways to get involved, and every bit will help us in our fight to mitigate non-CO2 emissions. Choose to give one back to the planet by offsetting one day, one week, or one month worth of emissions with Tradewater. 
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We’re also excited to share that this Saturday, April 22 at 12:15 PM ET, Kirsten Love and Maria José Gutierrez from the Tradewater team will be live on We Don’t Have Time’s Stockholm Climate Week broadcast, talking more about our critical climate solution and how you can get involved. 
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On this Earth Day and every day, we can work together to prevent catastrophic climate change. There’s no time to waste. 

Ford Brodeur
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7 w
It's fantastic to read that Tradewater is tackling such an important climate issue. I was astounded to read that "non-CO2 gases have an outsized effect on global warming and have accounted for nearly half of all warming from human activity since 1970."
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- Patrick Kiash
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  We Don't Have Time
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  6 w
  @ford_brodeur_ I agree with your sentiments

Article

We have a high-impact climate solution—and you can help

By Taraneh Arhamsadr, Tradewater Communications Team

Welcome, let's solve the climate crisis together