BELEM, Brazil (AP) — Global efforts to curb emissions of the powerful but short-lived heat-trapping gas methane are yielding about as bad results as carbon dioxide is more commonbut there is hope for the next five years, U.N. officials said Monday.
Methane emissions could provide a “handbrake” to slow greenhouse gas pollution and temperatures, said Martina Otto, head of the U.N. Climate and Clean Air Commission on methane pollution. It's because methane from fossil fuels traps nearly 30 times more heat than the more common carbon dioxide, but because they don't linger in the air as long, quick action to reduce methane could have a big impact on warming controlshe said.
If countries do what they say in their climate change plans, global methane emissions in 2030 will be 8% below 2020 levels, Otto said. This would be an improvement, since without any effort these emissions are expected to actually increase by 13%.
And yet this is not enough. The UN global methane commitment target for 2021 is a 30% reduction.
“We’ve gained momentum,” Otto said. “We can still do it, but it takes a lot of extra effort.”
Instead of the 8% reduction the UN is hoping for, outside expert Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, said his Climate Action Tracker projections show methane emissions will remain fairly stable – not rising or falling much – between now and 2030. Either remain unchanged or the 8% fall the UN predicts would be better than projections for increased carbon dioxide emissions, he said.
Over the past six years, carbon dioxide and methane emissions have risen at about the same rate, about 4%, Hare said.
Methane remains in the atmosphere for about a dozen years, compared to hundreds of years for carbon dioxide.
Officials said methane emissions from burning fossil fuels – about 72% of the methane people emit into the air – would in many cases allow companies to save money on capturing and using the gas, which is essential. burned down at drilling sites because it is easier, often because there is no infrastructure to collect and transport it. They could make money by capturing escaping or flaring methane, but the return on investment in escaping methane capture is not as great as new exploration efforts, Otto said.
“This report reveals a very hard truth, but also a glimmer of hope,” said Paul Behrens of the University of Oxford.
European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen said the past five years have shown “unprecedented action” to reduce methane emissions.
“It takes time to see results,” Jorgensen said. “Perseverance and patience are critical.”
___
Associated Press climate and environment coverage receives financial support from several private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find hotspots standards for working with charities, list of supporters and funded coverage areas on the website AP.org.
