Dubai (AFP) – Climate conversations often focus on reducing a well-known greenhouse gas, CO2. But at this year’s COP28, another powerful heat-retaining gas, methane, will be a key topic.
As the main component of natural gas, methane (CH4) is found abundantly in nature. But also It is the second largest contributor to human-caused global warming. after carbon dioxide (CO2), with an even stronger ability to trap heat.
Over a period of 100 years, its warming effect is 28 times greater than that of CO2 (and 80 times over 20 years).
The concentration of methane in the atmosphere is currently more than two and a half times higher than its pre-industrial levels. And the increase has accelerated in recent years.
Methane also contributes to ozone productiona dangerous pollutant for humans and ecosystems.
Agriculture and energy
About 40% of methane is emitted naturally, mainly through wetlands. But most emissions (around 60%) are linked to human activity.
Agriculture is the most important sector. It is responsible for about a quarter of emissions, coming from livestock (cows and sheep release methane during their digestion and through their excrement) and growing rice in flooded fields, where ideal conditions are created for methane-emitting bacteria. .
The energy sector (coal, oil and gas) is the second largest emitter. Methane escapes during energy production, transportation infrastructure (such as gas pipelines), and through deliberate leaks during facility maintenance.
Fossil waste also releases large amounts of methane when it decomposes.
But the amount of methane released into the atmosphere remains the subject of “significant uncertainty”, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), despite advances in monitoring emissions through the use of satellites.
What can be done?
A recent IEA report estimates that rapid reductions in methane emissions linked to the fossil fuel sector could prevent up to 0.1°C of warming by mid-century.
Such a reduction would have a greater impact than “immediately removing all cars and trucks from the roads,” according to the authors.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol called it “one of the most effective and affordable options” to reduce global warming.
It could be achieved by repairing leaks in energy infrastructure and eliminating routine flaring and release during pipeline maintenance.
“Leaks are too high in many areas where natural gas is extracted, but some countries, especially Norway, have shown that it is possible to extract and supply natural gas with minimal levels of leaks,” said William Gillett, director of the Energy Program at the Scientific Advisory Council of the European Academies (EASAC), to AFP.
“These ‘best practices’ need to be adopted more widely,” he added.
In the case of agriculture, it is possible to modify animal diets by, for example, adding a compound that inhibits methane production. Others have suggested the more drastic approach of reducing livestock.
For rice fields, changes in water management are the “most promising” way to reduce emissions, according to an FAO report.
A “Global Methane Commitment”
Previous COPs have been vague on the issue, but countries and corporations are starting to take the lead in adopting non-binding methane emissions reduction targets.
The “Global Methane Pledge” was launched by the EU and the United States in 2021, and aims to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels.
Around 150 countries have signed, but China, India or Russia have not.
“To stop climate change, it will be essential for the most important actors who have not yet come together to commit,” Gillett said.
EASAC scientists suggest that the next step is a binding international agreement to double emissions reduction targets, regarding the current commitment. If such a global commitment were to happen at COP28, it would be a huge success.
The United States and China have announced that they will include methane in their climate action plans, and Beijing has revealed a plan to control its emissions (although without a quantified target).
China’s plan is a “crucial step in addressing one of the country’s major greenhouse gases, which accounts for 10% of the country’s total emissions,” said Byford Tsand of climate think tank ‘E3G’.
However, “it will take time to assess whether the plan could have a ‘significant effect’ in the absence of quantified reduction targets,” he added.
Oil and gas giants have also proposed commitments, including the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, which aims to reach zero emissions in their activities by 2030.
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