Highlights
About the Global Methane Pledge
Methane is a powerful but short-lived climate pollutant that accounts for a third of net warming since the Industrial Revolution. Rapidly reducing methane emissions from energy, agriculture, and waste can achieve near-term gains in our efforts in this decade for decisive action and is regarded as the single most effective strategy to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5˚C within reach while yielding co-benefits, including improving public health and agricultural productivity.
The Global Methane Pledge (GMP) was launched at COP26 by the European Union and the United States who have been joined by many countries. In March 2024, GMP counted 158 participants.
Since its launch, the GMP has generated unprecedented momentum for methane mitigation, with major work underway in six action areas including: the Energy Pathway, the Waste Pathway, the Food and Agriculture Pathway, Methane Plans and Policies, Data for Methane Action, and Finance for Methane Abatement.
Such work is being supported by a broad range of leading international actors such as the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), the Global Methane Hub (GMH), the International Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Bank.
Participants joining the Pledge agree to take voluntary actions to contribute to a collective effort to reduce global methane emissions at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. This is a global, not a national reduction target.
With 158 country participants, representing a little over 50% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, we are well on our way to achieving the Pledge goal.
Meeting the GMP would reduce methane emissions to a level consistent with 1.5°C pathways while delivering significant benefits for human and ecosystem health, food security and our economies. It has the potential to reduce warming by at least 0.2 °C by 2050 and prevent annually 26 million tons of crop losses, 255,000 premature deaths, 775 thousand asthma-related hospitalizations and 73 billion hours of lost labour due to extreme heat.
Participants to the Pledge also commit to moving towards using the highest tier IPCC good practice inventory methodologies, as well as working to continuously improve the accuracy, transparency, consistency, comparability, and completeness of national greenhouse gas inventory reporting under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, and to provide greater transparency in key sectors.
The Pledge aims to catalyze global action and strengthen support for existing international methane emission reduction initiatives to advance technical and policy work that will serve to underpin Participants’ domestic actions. The Pledge also recognizes the essential roles that the private sector, development banks, financial institutions and philanthropy play in supporting the implementation of the Pledge and welcomes their efforts and engagement.
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) provides secretariat services to the GMP. With oversight from the GMP leadership, it supports engagement and coordination of GMP participants, tracks action and manages knowledge, and is responsible for communications and the organization of the GMP ministerial. The GMP secretariat services provided by the CCAC can be contacted at: support [at] globalmethanepledge.org
The Imperative for Methane Action
Drastic methane emissions reductions – alongside decarbonisation of our economies – need to happen before 2030 to keep the 1.5°C warming limit within reach.
While methane has a much shorter lifetime than carbon dioxide (CO2), it is much more efficient at trapping radiation. Per unit of mass, methane has a warming effect about 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. Methane has been responsible for 30% of total warming since the Industrial Revolution and is the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). Without action, global anthropogenic methane emissions are projected to rise by up to 13% between 2020 and 2030.
Pledges
We are seeing the “methane moment” from COP26 turn into a “methane movement”. 158 countries as well as the European Union are now participating in the Global Methane Pledge.
Participants
Champions
In 2023 a group of “GMP Champions” was convened. It comprises Canada, Germany, Japan, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nigeria and the GMP co-conveners, European Union and the United States. Each GMP Champion has designated high level official(s) to advance the work of the GMP by:
- Advocating for methane action in relevant global and regional fora.
- Accelerating implementation of the GMP by (a) originating and/or playing a leading role on international methane efforts as appropriate, and (b) strengthening domestic methane mitigation efforts.
- Assembling on a regular basis to provide an update on the above and discuss key GMP next steps.
Champions of the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) are uniting to advocate for accelerated methane action to achieve the Pledge and galvanise further progress by country participants and GMP supporters. As Champions, they will continue to spur domestic action in their respective countries.
Supporters
News & Updates
New CCAC and CATF partnership to support 20 countries in cutting energy sector methane emissions, advancing goals of Global Methane Pledge
European Commission - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)
Federated States of Micronesia - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)
Germany - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)
Japan - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)
Nigeria - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)
Events
2024 Global Methane Forum - Mobilizing Methane Action
Climate and Clean Air Conference 2024
Climate & Clean Air Ministerial 2023
Resources
Guidance on Including Methane in NDCs
To support national and global efforts to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition urges countries to include non-CO₂ pollutants in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The CCAC Guidance provides...
Key Methane Messages for COP28 2023
These key messages on methane for COP28 were developed to support GMP community messaging at COP28. These messages were prepared by the CCAC Secretariat - which provides secretariat services to the GMP - in collaboration with the GMP Champions.
The Imperative of Cutting Methane from Fossil Fuels
The Imperative of Cutting Methane from Fossil Fuels by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) builds on findings from the IEA’s recently updated pathway to limit global...
Global Methane Pledge
President Biden and President Von der Leyen announced at the September 17 Major Economies Forum (MEF) meeting that the United States and the European Union are inviting countries to support the Global Methane Pledge to be launched at COP 26 in November 2021 in Glasgow. Participants joining the...
Global Methane Assessment: 2030 Baseline Report
This report is a product of the Global Methane Assessment (GMA) by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition that details projections of anthropogenic methane emissions through 2030 under various baseline scenarios and assesses the climate...
Briefing on the Global Methane Pledge
2021 is the moment for methane. The CCAC-UNEP Global Methane Assessment set out an opportunity to change the climate trajectory within the next 20 years—a critical timeframe for slowing warming and self- reinforcing feedbacks enough to avoid passing dangerous tipping points. The 6th Assessment...
Multimedia
Global Methane Pledge Ministerial at COP27: 17 Nov 2022
In the year since it launched at COP26, the Global Methane Pledge has generated unprecedented momentum for methane action.
Remarks by Ursula von der Leyen
Remarks from President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the launch of the Global Methane Pledge at the U.N. Climate Summit (COP26), Nov. 2, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Remarks by US President Joe Biden
Remarks by US President Joe Biden at the launch of the Global Methane Pledge at the U.N. Climate Summit (COP26), Nov. 2, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland.