“This is absolutely critical to keeping the 1.5 degree target within reach,” Kerry said at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. The greenhouse effect of methane over a period of 100 years is estimated to be around 28 times that of CO2.
Since the start of the methane initiative last year, which was launched by the USA and the EU with around 100 countries, the pact has grown to 150 countries – 50 of which have adopted national action plans. The pact aims to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua presented his country’s political measures to reduce CH4 emissions at an event as part of the COP27, but did not want to participate in the international agreement. Austria joined the initiative in September.
In addition to agriculture, the energy sector is also a major construction site when it comes to methane. For example, leaks in conveyor and production systems are to be detected and plugged. In addition, the flaring of natural gas must be stopped, stressed Kerry and EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans at their joint press conference. “This is madness,” said Timmermans. A decisive reduction of methane will be one of the most important and effective levers in climate protection in the coming years.
Last week, a data report presented at the COP27 showed that the extraction and production of oil and gas releases three times as many climate-damaging gases as the states have previously officially reported to the UN. This information is based on measurements by the non-profit initiative Trace, which brings together data analysts, researchers and non-governmental organizations.
Johannes Wahlmüller, climate and energy spokesman at Global 2000, told the APA that leaks of 0.2 to 10 percent can occur during gas production – methane is the main component of natural gas. However, it is difficult to check the actual proportion, also because there is no transparent access to the data from plants such as in Russia. “But from a leakage of 2.7 percent, natural gas becomes as harmful to the climate as coal,” Wahlmüller warned of the consequences.
Overall, the reality so far has been bleak when it comes to methane. According to the World Weather Organization (WMO), since systematic measurements began almost 40 years ago, the concentration of the powerful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has never risen as sharply as in the past year. The concentration of methane in the atmosphere reached a high in 2021, as did that of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – each since measurements of these greenhouse gases began.
Source: Nachrichten
