The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with support from the EU has launched a new observatory to drive global action on reducing methane emissions.
The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) was launched on the eve of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which is taking place from October 31 to November 12.
The IMEO will bring global reporting on methane emissions “to an entirely different level, ensuring public transparency on anthropogenic methane emissions”, according to UNEP.
The IMEO will initially focus on emissions from the fossil fuel sector, and then expand to other major emitting sectors like agriculture and waste.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for at least a quarter of the current global warming.
The recently-published UNEP Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Global Methane Assessment states that “zero or low net-cost reductions could almost halve anthropogenic methane emissions, while proven measures could cut 0.28° from the forecasted rise in the planet’s average temperature by 2050”.
The IMEO “will provide the means to prioritise actions and monitor commitments” made by state actors in the Global Methane Pledge – a US and EU-led effort by over 30 countries to slash methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that methane is “one of the most dangerous gases for our climate”.
“We urgently need to reduce methane emissions to keep our climate targets in reach,” she said.
“Better satellite monitoring is essential and the EU is proud to support the creation of the observatory.”
‘Not a get out of jail free card’
To stay on track for the Paris Agreement goal of limiting climate change to 1.5°, the world needs to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that if the world is to achieve the 1.5° temperature target, then “deep methane emissions reductions must be achieved over the next decade”.
“As highlighted by the IPCC, if the world is serious about avoiding the worst effects of climate change, we need to cut methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry,” Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP said.
“But this is not a get out of jail free card: methane reductions must go hand-in-hand with actions to decarbonise the energy system to limit warming to 1.5°, as called for in the Paris Agreement.”
Methane released directly into the atmosphere “is more than 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year time horizon”, UNEP said.
However, as methane’s atmospheric lifespan is relatively short – 10 to 12 years – actions to cut these emissions “can yield the most immediate reduction in the rate of warming, while also delivering air quality benefits”.
EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said: “Methane has accounted for roughly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times, and today its emissions are increasing faster than at any other time since record-keeping began in the 1980s.
“Existing systems do not allow us to determine precisely enough where these emissions happen across the globe and in what volumes.
“Once better data is available, countries can take swift and well-targeted action. In the EU, we will already propose pioneering legislation to cut methane emissions this year.
“This includes mandatory leak detection and repair and limiting venting and flaring.”