The US and the EU have lined up 24 countries for a joint effort to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. The initiative is expected to be formally launched at the UN climate summit in Glasgow later in October. Among new signatories to the Global Methane Pledge are Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Israel, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Morocco, Nigeria, Congo-Brazzaville, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The nine original partners include the UK, Indonesia, and Mexico, which signed on to the pledge in September. US special climate change envoy John Kerry said he expected over 100 countries to join the pledge by the time of the upcoming COP26 climate summit. Separately, over 20 philanthropic organizations have also pledged more than $223 million to support methane reduction initiatives in some countries.
Reuters reported that Washington plans to engage with Beijing and New Delhi to urge them to join the pact in the weeks ahead of the US climate summit. Russian climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriev said Moscow would consider the initiative but did not confirm if it would join.
The pact now covers 60% of the global economy and 30% of the world’s methane emissions. If fulfilled, it would have a significant impact on methane-emitting sectors such as energy, agriculture, and waste. The members represent various methane emissions profiles. For instance, The US and Nigeria have significant methane emissions from their oil and gas sector. Indonesia’s main source of methane emissions is waste, while Pakistan’s main source is agriculture.
