Global Methane Pledge was launched at The United Nations COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. So far, more than 90 countries have signed the pledge, an effort jointly led by the United Nations and the European Union.
Methane is the second most heavily greenhouse gas in the atmosphere after carbon dioxide, and therefore, the pledge to lower its emissions is important.
What is Global Methane Pledge?
Global Methane Pledge was first announced by the US and EU in September and is an agreement to reduce global methane emissions. One of the central objectives of the deal is to bring down methane emissions by up to 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.
According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, about half of the total growth of 1.0 degrees Celsius at global average temperatures since the post-colonial era is due to methane.
What is methane?
According to the United Nations, methane, a greenhouse gas, is an ingredient in natural gas, 25 percent of the world’s temperature today. Since it is a greenhouse gas, its presence in the atmosphere increases the earth’s temperature.
The US Environment Protection Agency noted that there are various sources of methane, including human and natural sources. Human sources of methane include oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, renewable water treatment, some of the industries, etc.
