Efforts To Reduce Global Methane Emissions And Fight Climate Change Are The Focus Of A New Worldwide Pledge

The Global Methane Pledge has created unprecedented momentum for methane action in the year after its launch at COP26. Over the past year, the number of countries endorsing the GMP has doubled, from 100 to 150; more than 50 countries have developed national methane action plans or are in the process of doing so; significant new financial resources are being directed to methane action; and partners have launched "pathways" of policies and initiatives to drive methane reductions in key methane-emitting sectors, such as the GMP Energy Pathway launched at the June 2022 Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate.

Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming by an order of magnitude more than carbon dioxide. With an atmospheric half-life of around a decade, this climate pollutant is quickly depleted. Human-caused methane emissions make up more than half of all methane emissions, hence lowering these emissions is one of the most effective strategies to counteract climate change, as shown by studies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For global warming to remain below the threshold agreed upon by world leaders, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently launched the Global Methane Assessment, which found that reducing human-caused methane by 45 per cent this decade would be sufficient. By itself, this would prevent almost 0.3°C of warming by the 2040s. It would save a global total of 26 million tonnes of crops annually and avert 255,000 premature deaths, 775,000 hospital visits due to asthma, 73 billion hours of lost labour due to high heat, and 73 billion hours of lost labour.

Human-caused methane emissions can be broken down into the following three categories: agricultural (40%), fossil fuels (35%), and waste (20 per cent). Methane emissions from livestock farms are among the highest in the agricultural industry. Approximately 23% of emissions come from the oil and gas industry, while just 12% come from the coal industry. It is conceivable to cut methane emissions by 75% in the oil and gas industry using already available technology, with 50% of that reduction coming at no net cost.

 According to UNEP's Executive Director Inger Andersen, "cutting methane emissions is the best approach to halt climate change over the next 25 years."

 There is considerable potential for the Global Methane Pledge to raise countries' ambition and strengthen their collaboration. Through the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, UNEP will aid in translating pledges into actionable plans to reduce emissions.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is making greater efforts to draw attention to and reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector through initiatives like IMEO, which is data-driven and action-focused in order to battle methane. To achieve this goal, it collects, integrates, and reconciles data from all available sources and makes this information publicly available together with supporting scientific evidence, studies, and policy recommendations for reducing methane emissions from fossil fuels.

Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0

UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition have announced a new multi-stakeholder effort called the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0). When it comes to reporting methane emissions, the OGMP 2.0 is the only all-encompassing, measurement-based framework available to the oil and gas industry.

The Partnership now includes over 80 enterprises spread across all five continents, accounting for a sizeable chunk of global oil and gas output. Operators of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines, gas storage capacity, and LNG terminals are also part of OGMP 2.0.

In order to solve the methane data challenge, the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) relies heavily on data from the OGMP 2.0. To create a public dataset of methane emissions levels and sources, IMEO collects, integrates, and reconciles methane data from a variety of sources. In order to provide a solid scientific foundation for methane emissions estimations, IMEO will be a crucial implementation vehicle for the Global Methane Pledge.

The United Nations has unveiled a cutting-edge, satellite-based methane monitoring system for the entire planet

The United Nations (UN) recently revealed a new satellite-based system to monitor emissions of the climate warming gas methane and allow governments and businesses to respond, as part of global efforts to limit climate change by combating methane.

As part of the UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory's (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference as a data-to-action platform.

With initial support from the European Commission, the United States Government, Global Methane Hub, and the Bezos Earth Fund, MARS was developed as part of the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway to help UNEP verify company-reported emissions and describe trends over time. Partners such as the International Energy Agency and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition hosted by UNEP will help put MARS into action.

The United Nations Environment Programme's Executive Director, Inger Andersen, stated that the world is "far off track" in its attempts to limit global warming to 1.5°C, as shown by the organization's Emissions Gap Report released prior to the climate summit. Since methane escapes the atmosphere far more quickly than carbon dioxide, reducing emissions can have a significant and immediate impact. To help governments and businesses accomplish this urgent climate goal, the Methane Alert and Response System represents a major advance.

Other UNEP IMEO initiatives are also being supported by the Global Methane Hub and the Bezos Earth Fund. To better quantify agricultural methane emissions, researchers are integrating multi-scale ground measurements with growing satellite capacity.
Methane emissions have been rising at a rapid rate. Dr. Kelly Levin, the Bezos Earth Fund's Chief of Science, Data, and Systems Change, has said, "With this initiative, armed with greater data and transparency, companies and governments can make greater strides to reduce methane emissions, and civil society can keep them accountable for their promises."

Clearly, scientific evidence supports this conclusion. If we want to keep global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, we must cut worldwide methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030. Marcelo Mena, CEO of Global Methane Hub, noted that reducing methane emissions is "one of the most cost effective and impactful actions a country can take," adding, "Therefore Global Methane Hub is pleased to partner with UNEP and the Bezos Earth Fund, on providing critical resources - to the MARS initiative, that can enable the identification and rapid response to major methane emissions from the energy sector, as well as take the first steps in enabling satel"

It is imperative that we address methane emissions if we are to reduce the global temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees. For brief periods of time, these emissions tend to spike in certain locations; for instance, in the energy sector due to leaks, venting, and flaring. It's possible to respond more quickly if these peaks are identified early on, according to Frans Timmermans, the European Commission's executive vice president. The Methane Alert and Response System is designed for this same purpose. The method will allow every country to take swift action to cut methane emissions because of financing and free satellite data from Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation initiative.

Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions has many backers

There are currently 15 signatories to the effort, with an additional 17 companies showing their support by signing on as supporters. Major players in the energy technology sector including Baker Hughes, the engineering firm Worley (with offices in both the United States and Australia), and the IPIECA (an industry group) are all on board to help the oil and gas sector reach its objective of nearly zero methane emissions.Emissions monitors and detectors like GHGSat are also on board.

OG Tech, Flare 2 Value, and Pipeline 360; Qnergy, Seek Ops, Clarke Valve, Highwood Emissions Management, and Maze Environmental, among others, who are creating new equipment and technologies to prevent leaks and utilise methane; consultancies like Wood Mackenzie Carbon Limits and ERM; and NGOs like Equitable Origin, who are advocating for change. OGCI, or the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, is also on board.

About 22% of the world's anthropogenic methane emissions in 2021 came from oil and gas extraction. Despite the fact that energy use increased by around 5% last year, IEA figures reveal that methane emissions from the energy sector increased by roughly 5%.

 The industry's methane emissions can and should be reduced to zero, as acknowledged by the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative. Members of the OGCI, a CEO-led group working to expedite business action on climate change, created it.

With Aiming for Zero, members have a detailed plan for achieving quick emission reductions. But they can't stop the gas leak by themselves. Because of this, companies like Baker Hughes and Worley are encouraged to join the effort and contribute to its goal of reducing its methane emissions.

Important multi-stakeholder projects like the Methane Guiding Principles, Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, and the Global Methane Alliance are complemented by this new effort.