More than twenty countries have joined the American-European project to reduce methane emissions by 30% within ten years. This was announced by EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow later this month.
The Global Methane Pledge aims to stimulate rapid climate action before the summit in Scotland starts on October 31. Significant restrictions on methane emissions could have a substantial impact on the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors, which are responsible for the majority of methane emissions.
Timmermans and Kerry held a virtual ministerial meeting on Monday to mobilize further support for their Global Methane Pledge. They consider rapid methane emission reduction the most effective strategy to reduce global warming in the short term.
Following earlier announcements of support from Argentina, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, another 24 countries announced today that they will join the Global Methane Pledge. With these commitments, nine of the world's 20 largest methane emitters are now part of the Methane Pledge.
Four weeks ago, EC President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden, with support from seven other countries, announced the Global Methane Pledge — which will be launched in November in Glasgow during the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and, according to the latest IPCC report, is responsible for approximately half of the net increase in average temperature. Methane is therefore the largest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2).
The European Union, the United States, and other early supporters will continue to recruit additional countries to join the Global Methane Pledge ahead of the formal launch at COP26.
More than 20 philanthropic organizations, including those of Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates, will donate over 200 million euros to support countries’ methane reduction efforts.