The Global Methane Pledge was launched on November 2, 2021 at the ongoing UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

Highlights

• As of now, more than 90 countries have signed this pledge.
• Global Methane Pledge is an effort led by the United States and the European Union, jointly.
• This pledge is significant because Methane is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas present in the atmosphere.

About Global Methane Pledge

The Global Methane Pledge was first announced in September 2021 by the US and EU. It is an agreement to reduce global methane emissions. This pledge was announced with the aim of reducing methane emissions by 30 per cent by the year 2030, as compared to 2020 levels.

How Methane contributes to global temperature?

As per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, methane accounts for around half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net increase in global average temperature as compared to pre-industrial era. As per UN, 25 percent of the warming is because of methane.

About methane

Methane is a greenhouse gas and a component of natural gas. Its presence in the atmosphere increases the temperature on Earth. Methane comes from human as well as natural sources. Human sources of methane comprise of oil & natural gas systems, landfills, coal mining, agricultural activities, wastewater treatment, and industrial processes. Human sources accounts for 60 percent of the global methane emissions, among which Oil & gas sectors are the largest contributor.