By Abbas Nazil
Ministers at COP30 in Belém have urged faster, decisive action to curb methane emissions as a new Global Methane Status Report shows progress since 2021, but warns that current efforts fall short of meeting the Global Methane Pledge.
Released by the UN Environment Programme and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the report provides the most comprehensive update on global methane trends, revealing that while emissions are still increasing, current legislation has already lowered projected 2030 levels compared with earlier forecasts.
The findings highlight that national policies, sector regulations, and market changes—especially in waste management and natural gas markets—have improved the outlook, though not enough to reach the pledge’s goal of cutting methane 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030.
Ministers participating in the Global Methane Pledge Ministerial stressed that proven technologies and policies already exist, but rapid scale-up across energy, agriculture, and waste sectors is crucial. They called for stronger transparency and more detailed national reporting to track progress.
The report shows that national climate commitments and methane action plans submitted by mid-2025 could achieve an 8 per cent reduction below 2020 levels by 2030, which would mark the largest sustained methane decline in history if fully implemented.
However, achieving the 30 per cent target requires maximum deployment of available mitigation technologies, including leak detection in oil and gas systems, plugging abandoned wells, improving rice field water management, and increasing organic waste treatment.
More than 80 per cent of global mitigation potential can be achieved at low cost, with the energy sector alone accounting for 72 per cent of available reductions.
The report finds that implementing all feasible measures could prevent over 180,000 premature deaths and 19 million tonnes of annual crop losses by 2030, while costing the fossil fuel sector only 2 per cent of its 2023 income.
Because 72 per cent of global mitigation potential lies in G20+ countries, the report emphasizes the need for stronger measurement systems, better reporting and more financing to target major sources.
Canada’s climate minister, Julie Dabrusin, EU Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, and UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, all stressed that methane reductions are essential for protecting health, boosting food security, and keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach.
They warned that decisions made in the next five years will determine whether the world seizes this opportunity to secure cleaner air, stronger economies, and a safer climate.
