Methane Reduction Pledge, an Initiative in Anticipation of the Climate Summit 2021
Admin GHRTV
Veronika Sherova,
Environment and Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defense.
On September 17, the United States hosted the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF), six weeks before the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow. MEF leaders and participating countries underscored the urgency of strengthening climate ambition and addressed potential participation in the Global Methane Pledge. Co-initiated by the United States and the European Union, the pledge calls to decrease methane emissions by 30 % over the next decade. The pledge was immediately joined by the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, and Argentina, with Ghana and Iraq signing up over the following weekend. The pledge will be announced and opened for further signatures during the Climate Change Conference.
According to the existing environmental research, methane emissions are responsible for almost a quarter of global warming up to date [Jackson et al, 2020]. The sources of methane emissions are abandoned coal mines, oil and gas operations, and certain agricultural practices involving the decay of organic waste. Despite their significant impact, methane emissions have not received enough political attention compared to carbon dioxide emissions, i.e. only 13 countries have methane emission targets in their climate plans. Therefore, the pact signals an important starting point in restricting and regulating methane emissions worldwide and another step along the road towards combating climate change.
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For further reading:
Meeting of the Major Economies on Energy and Climate September 17, 2021: Chair’s Summary. The White House Briefing room, September 17, 2021.
Increasing anthropogenic methane emissions arise equally from agricultural and fossil fuel sources. R. B. Jackson et al, Environmental Research Letters, 2020. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9ed2.
Seven Countries Join US and EU in Methane Reduction Pledge. Climate Home News, September 20, 2021. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/09/20/seven-countries-join-us-eu-methane-reduction-pledge/.
