China’s environment ministry on Thursday said that the government would publish a nationwide methane emission control in key industrial sectors such as coal mining, agriculture and petroleum. An official with the ministry said that the plan is an important measure to implement a deal with the US to ramp up cooperation in tackling climate change. Methane is 80 times more potent in warming the earth than CO2, although it stays shorter in the atmosphere.
China emitted 55.29 million tons of methane in 2014, about 10.4% of the country’s total greenhouse gases emissions. The energy sector accounted for 45% of the methane release, while agriculture contributed to 40%. The ministry said the plan would include a methane trading platform but did not specify the timeline of the programme. Some Chinese oil and gas firms, such as PetroChina and Sinopec, have set their own targets on reducing methane emissions.
