Four more countries have signed up to the global methane pledge that was created at Cop26 in 2021 bringing the total number to 159 countries to date. New signatories include countries with large oil and gas sectors that are significant emitters of methane such as Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.
While research suggests that methane emissions have not declined in recent years, the EU’s Methane Import Standard, implemented this year, is already having an impact globally with current and would-be trade partners taking measures to ensure their oil, gas and coal exports meet the qualifications.
The Cop29 climate change conference, which is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, has also provided an opportunity for countries that joined the methane pledge in 2021 to review progress, mobilise finance and showcase technology with the goal of cutting global methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.
Methane is often referred to as ‘low-hanging fruit’ when it comes to climate action because mitigation is relatively easy. A significant proportion – 30% globally in 2017 – of anthropogenic methane is emitted during extraction of fossil fuels. ‘Using currently available technologies, we can cut methane emissions by at least 45% by 2030,’ says James Turitto, director of global campaigns at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). This is enough to avoid 0.3°C of warming by the 2040s.
In Baku, there’s a shift in the narrative – ‘super pollutants’ are taking centre stage. Methane, nitrous oxide and even hydrofluorocarbons are dominating certain discussions. Methane’s warming potential is more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term meaning cutting it can have an immediate impact on global warming. ‘The fact that methane is even garnering attention from governments is a sea change from just a few years ago. We would have never expected a country like Turkmenistan, who is a major producer of oil and gas and a major emitter of methane, would have become so open to addressing the issue,’ says Turitto. This is being recognised as countries begin to tie methane into their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to counter climate change. NDCs are pledges made by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Now, more than 30 countries have endorsed the Cop29 declaration on reducing methane from organic waste. Solid waste – food and plant remains, paper waste and industrial sludge in landfills – is the third largest source of human-made methane, behind agriculture and the oil and gas sector. The Cop29 presidency included organic waste as a priority for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the waste sector. The new signatories to action on organic waste include the US and Russia, who are collectively responsible for nearly half of methane emissions from this source. They have pledged to set specific targets to reduce methane from organic waste within future NDCs. Affordable and feasible strategies already exist to combat this methane such as minimising organic waste, diverting it for treatment and reducing emissions at landfills through gas capture technologies. Over $500 million (£400 million) in new funding was announced at Cop29 for methane abatement across the energy, waste and agricultural sectors.
Turning these commitments into action will be a crucial step in reducing global methane emissions. ‘To support this effort, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and CATF recently launched a global initiative to help middle- and low-income countries tackle methane pollution,’ explains Turitto, adding that knowledge exchange enables the sharing of good practice, as well as resources like methane satellites to help all parties fulfil their pledges.
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