Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26: more than 100 countries, −30% target by 2030

During the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, the Global Methane Pledge was formally launched on 2 November 2021. The countries that joined it – more than a hundred – declared a joint reduction of global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 compared with the 2020 level. The initiative, announced in September by the United States and the European Union, was regarded as one of the more concrete outcomes of the summit.

Nature of the pledge

The pledge is not a treaty and provides for no sanctions. It is meant to coordinate action: countries declare that they will prepare national reduction plans in the main sectors – energy, agriculture and waste – and will use better emission inventory methods. The 30% goal concerns total emissions, not each country individually.

Not all of the world's largest methane emitters joined the initiative on the day it was launched; the participants did not include China, Russia and India, among others, which limited the reach of the pledge.

Why methane

The argument for quick action was the findings of the May 2021 report of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and of the August IPCC report: methane has a short lifetime in the atmosphere but warms the climate very strongly over the short term, so cutting it quickly reduces the rate of warming. Among the cheapest measures named were detecting and repairing leaks in the fossil fuel sector, but also capturing landfill gas and managing organic waste and manure.

Significance for biogas and waste

Biogas and biomethane fit into the sectoral actions described alongside the pledge: digesting manure and slurry reduces agricultural emissions, and processing biowaste prevents it from decomposing in landfills. Many countries reported on this occasion on plans to support biogas and landfill gas capture. For the European Union the pledge was linked to the planned rules for the energy sector, which the Commission was to present in December 2021.

What next

Implementation of the pledge depends on national policies and monitoring mechanisms. The key question was whether the announcements would translate into regulations and funding, including in developing countries, where the potential for reducing emissions from waste and agriculture is large but capital is lacking.

Why the number of countries is not enough

The number of signatories alone says little about the scale of reductions. What matters more is what share of global methane emissions falls to the participants. Reports from Glasgow stressed that the group covers a significant part of the world economy and emissions, but that countries with large fossil fuel production and agriculture remained outside it, which limits the initiative's effectiveness.

A tip for readers

When following the implementation of the pledge, it is worth paying attention to the methane inventory data published by countries and international organisations, because they will make it possible to judge whether the declarations translate into real falls in emissions from agriculture, waste and energy.