(20 September 2020) – The European Union and the United States on Saturday called on more nations to join a pledge to slash methane gas emissions and cut warming by at least 0.2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
The initiative – unveiled by President Joe Biden on Friday – means countries would commit to a collective goal of reducing emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and, according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, accounts for about half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.
Rapidly reducing methane emissions is complementary to action on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and is regarded as the single most effective strategy to reduce global warming in the near term and keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. (Euractiv / AFP / Reuters)