Methane Emission

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Methane emissions will likely increase by 13 per cent by 2030 without the Global Methane Pledge said by the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate by citing an upcoming report by the United Nations Environment Programme during his speech at the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum 2022 being held in Washington, DC. 

The Global Methane Pledge

• It was launched in 2021, aims to keep alive the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal. 
• Over a 100 countries have committed to reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030 from 2020 levels. 
• This reduction could eliminate over 0.2˚C warming by 2050.
• India, which is not a part of the Global Methane Pledge, is among the top five methane emitters globally, according to the International Energy Agency.

Methane

• Methane and short-lived climate pollutants like hydrofluorocarbons stay in the Earth’s atmosphere for a few years, unlike carbon dioxide.
• Their potential to warm the atmosphere could be 80-1,500 times greater.
• Methane has contributed to about one-third of the current anthropogenic greenhouse gas-driven warming, according to an editorial in Nature Geoscience.
• A panel of scientists at the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum noted that mitigating methane and other short-lived climate pollutants is essential to achieving decarbonisation goals. 
• It will enable further carbon dioxide removal.
• Currently, only 2 per cent of global climate finance goes to methane.
• Global methane emissions in 2030, can be reduced by 57 per cent using available strategies and technologies. This reduction can cause lower global warming by around 0.25°C in 2050 and 0.5°C by the end of the century.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.
• Its global network currently includes over 120 state and non-state partners, and hundreds of local actors carrying out activities across economic sectors.
• It was formed in 2012 by the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, along with the UNEP.
• To support fast action and deliver benefits on several fronts at once: climate, public health, energy efficiency, and food security
• 76 countries are its partner including India.
• To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and hold warming to 1.5˚C. Methane emissions can be reduced by 40% and black carbon by 70% by 2030 (from 2010 levels). Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be virtually eliminated with the potential for a 99.5% reduction by 2050 (from 2010 levels).
• The Coalition’s goal is to reduce short-lived climate pollutants beyond the recommendations made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its special report Global Warming of 1.5°C.

Global Methane Initiative(GMI)

• GMI is an international public-private initiative launched in 2004.
• To achieve a global reduction in anthropogenic methane emission through a partnership among developed and developing countries having economies in transition.
• It is a voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada. India has been one of the members since its inception.
• It is currently hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• It was launched in 2004.
• It is an international public-private initiative that advances cost-effective, near-term methane abatement and recovery and use of methane as a valuable energy source in three sectors: biogas (including agriculture, municipal solid waste, and wastewater), coal mines, and oil and gas systems.

International Energy Agency(IEA)

• It was established in 1974 as an autonomous intergovernmental organization under the OECD framework.
• To ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy for its member countries and beyond.
• It has four main areas of focus: a) Energy security b) Economic development c) Environmental awareness and d) Engagement worldwide.
• It has 30 member countries and eight association countries. India became an associate member in 2017.
• IEA member countries need to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year’s net imports.
• Secretariat: Paris, France.
• Reports: It releases the 

• World Energy Outlook report
• Global Energy & CO2 Status Report.
• World Energy Statistics.
• World Energy Balances.
• Energy Technology Perspectives.