COP28 climate summit puts spotlight on turning methane pledges into action

Delegates at this year’s U.N. COP28 climate summit are anxious to boost the world’s climate change agenda with concrete plans for clamping down on the second-most prominent greenhouse gas – methane.
While more than 150 countries have promised since 2021 to slash their methane emissions 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 under the U.S.- and EU-led Global Methane Pledge, few have detailed how they will achieve this.
What is needed now is to turn those pledges into urgent action – with financial support for developing countries’ efforts and national regulations over methane-emitting sectors such as oil and gas and agriculture, according to the United Arab Emirates’ COP28 presidency.
Some oil and gas companies have so far participated in voluntary programs to monitor or reduce their methane emissions. It is still unclear which companies might join the UAE’s call for formalized efforts.