This fact sheet is being jointly released by the United States and European Union as co-conveners of the Global Methane Pledge.
Unprecedented Momentum for Keeping 1.5°C Within Reach while Advancing Energy Security, Food Security, and Sustainable Development
Achieving the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) goal of cutting anthropogenic methane emissions at least 30 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels is the fastest way to reduce near-term warming and is necessary to keep a 1.5°C temperature limit within reach. Achieving this goal will drive significant energy security, food security, health, and development gains.
In the year since it launched at COP26, the Global Methane Pledge has generated unprecedented momentum for methane action. Country endorsements of the GMP have grown from just over 100 last year to 150, more than 50 countries have developed national methane action plans or are in the process of doing so, substantial 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 – a GMP Energy Pathway launched at the June 2022 Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate and a GMP Food and Agriculture Pathway and GMP Waste Pathway, both launched today at COP27.
The United States and European Union convened a Methane Ministerial at COP27 today to highlight this progress and discuss further implementation steps, including enhanced efforts leading up to COP28.
Progress on the GMP Energy Pathway: In June 2022, the United States, European Union, and 11 other countries launched the GMP Energy Pathway to accelerate methane emissions reductions in the fossil energy sector, cleaning up our near-term fossil energy consumption as an essential complement to the clean energy transition. Recent developments in the Energy Pathway include . . . .
New GMP Food and Agriculture Pathway: Launched today, the GMP Food and Agriculture Pathway advances climate and food security goals through new actions that increase agricultural productivity, reduce food loss and waste, and improve the viability of agriculture in the future. Initial components of the GMP Food and Agriculture Pathway include . . . .
New GMP Waste Pathway: Waste is responsible for roughly 20 percent of global methane emissions from human activities, and dramatically scaling up efforts to reduce these emissions can deliver important health and economic development benefits. Launched today, the GMP Waste Pathway will focus initially on reducing emissions across the solid waste value chain, from upstream sources to downstream disposal sites. Initial components of the GMP Waste Pathway include . . . .
Progress on National Methane Planning: National methane targets and policies, in standalone action plans and/or as part of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are critical to achieving the Global Methane Pledge. . . .
Foundational Data and Science to Underpin Methane Action: Since COP26, CCAC and UNEP IMEO have continued to make strides in developing foundational science and actionable data. The UNEP/CCAC Global Methane Assessment 2030: Baseline Report underscores the GMP’s potential to deliver cooling benefits much faster than decarbonization alone and finds that global methane emissions are projected to rise up to 13 percent by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario. CCAC is making available country Methane Profiles to inform national action plan and roadmap processes. The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 now includes 60 member companies on its “Gold Standard” pathway for sequentially improving the quality of reported data, which is critical to drive credible methane reductions. Additionally, UNEP IMEO continues to fund and coordinate scientific methane measurement studies across jurisdictions and is available to work with GMP-endorsing countries on multi-scale measurement studies that can inform baselines of methane emission across sectors and guide reductions.
https://www.state.gov/global-methane-pledge-from-moment-to-momentum/