COP26: Nearly 100 countries pledge to slash methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030
Initiative marks a significant step up in global action on the potent greenhouse gas and could lead to a major crackdown on sources of methane globally
Nearly 100 countries have now signed a landmark pledge to reduce their methane emissions by 30 per cent by the end of this decade, US President Joe Biden told delegates at the COP26 Climate Summit this afternoon.
The Global Methane Pledge, first unveiled by the US and EU at the UN General Assembly in September, has now been endorsed by dozens of countries that collectively represent 70 per cent of the global economy and produce around half of methane emissions, he said.
Taking to the stage at a COP26 event to formally launch the pledge alongside EU chief Ursula van der Leyen, US climate envoy John Kerry, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden said the “game-changing commitment” had now been adopted by “approaching 100” countries, up from a original group of just nine nations in September.
The US President stressed that reducing methane emissions would be critical to keeping the world on a 1.5C-aligned pathway this decade, given the greenhouse gas is far more potent than carbon dioxide.
“One of the most important things we can do in this decisive decade is to keep 1.5C in reach is to reduce our methane emissions as quickly as possible,” he said. “It is one of the most potent greenhouse gas there is, it amounts half the warming we are experiencing today – [that’s] just methane.”
The UK is among the 95 countries that have signed up to the pledge, alongside top methane producing nation Brazil. However, China, Russia, and India – which are all among the world’s largest methane emitters – are notably absent from the coalition.
Campaigners have long called on world leaders to take bolder action to tackle methane emissions, which is largely released from coal mines, oil and gas operations, and farming. They have pointed out that methane mitigation is a rapid and often cost-effective means of slashing near-term emissions over the coming decade, largely because the technical solutions to fix methane leaks at mines, oil and gas production sites, and along distribution pipelines are proven, available, and result in lower costs for operators. While more potent than CO2, methane persists for a shorter time in the atmosphere – meaning that action taken now to slash emissions is likely to have a more immediate effect on temperature increases.
Biden said he believed countries were capable of exceeding the targets agreed under the pledge, predicting the push to reduce methane emissions would boost economies, save companies money, and create “good paying, union jobs”.
“Together we are committing to collectively reduce our methane by 30 per cent by 2030 – and I think we can go beyond that,” he said.
At the same event, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada aimed to become the “first country” to answer the International Energy Agency’s call to reduce methane emissions by 75 per cent in support of global climate goals. He committed to slashing Canada’s methane emissions by three quarters by 2030, against a 2012 baseline, and said he would introduce regulations to “get the job done”.
“Methane from the energy sector is a particular and pressing problem,” Trudeau said as he unveiled the new target and urged other fossil fuel producing nations to set similarly ambitious goals.
The momentum behind the pledge has been broadly welcomed by observers, who noted that action on methane was long overdue, given the gas’ significant impact on global warming and the availability and affordability of solutions that can bring down emissions. However, campaigners warned that countries would need to follow up on the pledge with robust action to actually curb emissions and work hard to enlist India, Russia, China, and others to the group.
“Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas; acting to cut quickly can buy valuable time as national emissions pledges still lag behind the Paris ambition of keeping warming to 1.5C,” said Gareth Redmond King, COP26 communications and engagement lead at the Energy and Climate Change Unit. “The growing list of countries committing to slashing [methane] is a welcome pillar in the work in Glasgow to continue and build on this momentum.”
E3G energy expert Maria Pastukhova said the pledge was a “positive and a long-overdue step forward”, noting that it put the second-biggest human-made cause of global warming in the spotlight.
“The real work begins now,” she said. “Before COP27, the pledge must get the top three emitters China, Russia, and India on board, supported by transparent governance and monitoring mechanisms. Most importantly, the gas, oil and coal industry must ramp up efforts to drastically cut energy-related emissions, showing tangible results within the next few years. There is a suite of cost-effective measures they can use to do so.”
Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero at the University of Cambridge, also welcomed the EU- and US-led scheme, noting that methane was responsible for roughly 0.5C of global warming to date. “Although it doesn’t stay as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its release it is 80 times more powerful at heating,” she said. “Methane is an easy win in terms of climate action: cuts using existing technologies and adopting different land management practices could reduce warming by 0.25C by 2050 at little or no cost, and help to keep 1.5 alive.”
But Murray Worthy, gas campaign leader at Global Witness, warned the countries’ ambitions fell short of the 45 per cent reduction in methane emissions recommended by the United Nations and stressed that the easiest and most sustainable way of tackling methane emissions was through shrinking the fossil fuel industry.
“We know just how devastating methane emissions are, as does the fossil fuel industry,” he said. “Yet there is no way the world can cut methane emissions fast enough while the oil and gas industry is still growing. The single most effective way of stopping methane emissions is also incredibly simple – phase out the use of climate-wrecking fossil fuels.”
