US and EU pledge 30 per cent cut in methane emissions

The United States and European Union on Friday made a joint pledge to cut global methane emissions by almost a third in the next decade. The climate experts have hailed this as one of the most significant steps yet towards fulfilling the Paris climate agreement.

This comes after the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, warned of a “high risk of failure” at the vital UN climate talks, Cop26, set for Glasgow this November.

As per the plan between US and the EU, a target has been set of cutting at least 30 per cent from global methane emissions, based on 2020 levels, by 2030. 

If adopted around the world, this would reduce global heating by 0.2C by the 2040s, compared with likely temperature rises by then. The world is now about 1.2C hotter than in pre-industrial times.

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Boris Johnson said the UK would be one of the first to join the US-EU methane pledge when it opens for more signatories at Cop26. 

During a meeting of world leaders from major economies on Friday, he said, “Over the last 30 years the UK has cut emissions of methane by something like 60%. And there are good commercial uses for methane, you can use it to make fabrics, you can use it to make antifreeze. So the world could slash its output of this powerful greenhouse gas tomorrow if we wanted to.”

Also, the UN published a report which has revealed that the current pledges on emissions from national governments would result in an increase of 16 per cent in emissions in 2030 compared with 2010 levels, whereas scientists warn that emissions must fall by 45 per cent in that period to stay within 1.5C. 

The OECD published another report showing that climate finance funding from private and public sources that flows from the rich world to developing countries was falling about $20 billion short of a longstanding target of $100 billion a year.