Environment Methane emissions falling slower than necessary according to UN report
Global emissions of the greenhouse gas methane are rising less rapidly than expected - but significant efforts are still needed to achieve the internationally agreed reductions. This is the conclusion of a UN report.
18.11.2025, 05:34
SDA
Detecting leaks, growing rice differently, more modern landfills: The report identifies ways to reduce methane emissions. Nevertheless, a lot of the aggressive greenhouse gas is still being released into the atmosphere, according to the report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), which was published at the World Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil.
Target is 30 percent less by 2030
At the initiative of the EU and the USA, numerous countries decided at the 2021 Glasgow Climate Conference to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030. The project - known as the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) - aims to reduce global warming by at least 0.2 degrees by 2050.
According to UNEP, current national climate protection plans could lead to methane savings of eight percent by 2030 compared to 2020 - this would be the biggest methane reduction ever. However, much more is needed: for example, efforts to detect and repair leaks must be stepped up. Changes to rice cultivation methods and more modern landfill sites that capture methane could also help.
Savings potential in the energy sector
More than 80 percent of the savings targeted by 2030 could be achieved cost-effectively, for example by detecting leaks and closing oil and gas production sites that are no longer in use. The energy sector offers by far the greatest savings potential, followed by waste and agriculture.
Methane is the second-largest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2) - and in the short term it is a good 80 times stronger than CO2. However, while CO2 remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years or more, methane slowly decomposes after around twelve years.
