COP26: World Leaders Announce Global Pledge To Slash Methane
The Global Methane Pledge aims to limit methane emissions by 30% compared with 2020 levels.
There has been a growing focus on methane as a way of buying extra time to tackle climate change. Although there's more CO2 in the atmosphere and it sticks around for longer, individual methane molecules have a more powerful warming effect on the atmosphere than single CO2 molecules.
The thrust is to cut emissions by 30% by 2030. The main focus in the short-term will be the fossil fuel industry. Most of the curbs can be achieved at little or no cost. The potential benefits are huge - scientists believe it could help the world avoid 0.3C of warming by 2040. At a time where every fraction of a degree matters, that is a major saving that could help keep the 1.5C threshold in play.