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• President Biden and E.U. Commission chief Leyen led a global partnership to cut emissions of methane by 30% compared to 2020 levels
• The pledge has been signed by more than 80 countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Mexico
President Joe Biden and E.U. Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen endorsed a global partnership to cut emissions of methane by 30% compared to 2020 levels by the end of this decade. This was stated at the COP26 summit on Tuesday.
In September, the initiative, which was first proposed by the U.S. and E.U., was signed by more than 80 countries. The pledge now includes six of the world's ten biggest methane emitters: the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Mexico.
President Biden addressed the representatives and highlighted the need to reduce methane emissions as quickly as possible.
Biden's announcement to cut methane emissions was made in front of the COP26 attendees at the launch of the Global Methane Pledge. It's one of the most potent greenhouse gases there is. It amounts to about half the warming we're experiencing today, he said.
Biden added that the signatories could go beyond the pledge's 30% reduction target. The pledge covers countries that emit nearly half of all methane and make up 70% of global GDP, the U.S. president said.
Despite the President's energy and vigor surrounding the new initiative, major emitters of methane such as Russia, China, and India are not part of the pledge. The fact that all the commitments are voluntary also clouds the fulfillment of this goal.
Methane's effect on global warming
Many efforts to control global warming involve the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is emitted as a result of human activities such as generating power and deforestation.
Over time, the focus over probable causes for global warming has moved to methane. Although the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is dangerously high, individual methane molecules have a more powerful warming effect on the atmosphere than single CO2 molecules.
Last August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that methane was responsible for a significant proportion of a degree Celsius of warming the world has already experienced.
Inputs from BBC
Picture Credits: BBC (IPCC Sixth Assessment Report 2021)