US special climate envoy John Kerry on Friday said the US and Russia were in talks discussing methane emissions during the UN COP26 conference. Last week, the US and the EU announced that 106 nations had joined a global initiative to slash their collective methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 versus 2020 baselines. This increased from the 22 countries initially participating in the pledge when it was launched in October. However, China, Russia, and India have not participated in the agreement. They are the world’s three top methane emitters, accounting for more than a third of global methane emissions.
Kerry said he met with the Russian delegation on Friday to discuss how they would possibly work together to tackle methane emissions. He noted that Russia faced major challenges to curb the methane release in Siberia and the north, as the thawing of the permafrost affected the country’s infrastructure. If successful, the initiative could contribute to cutting future temperatures by around 0.2°C, Kerry added.
