COP29: Governments and industry must stop ‘lip service’ on methane and cut emissions, UNEP says

That message comes after a while new UN report It found that a sophisticated system that detects significant methane leaks sent 1,200 notifications to governments and businesses in the last two years, but only one per cent of these notifications were responded to.

“We now have a proven system to detect major leaks and stop them quickly, often with simple repairs. We are literally talking about screwing the bolts tighter in some casesInger Anderson in questionWe are initiating the report highlighting smoke alerts from the Methane Alert and Response System (ANTHEM).

UN Environment Program (UNEP) the chief’s alarm was just one of many significant events that occurred today. COP29. The latest annual UN climate summit has been taking place in Azerbaijan’s capital since Monday, heading into the weekend as experts and government negotiators prepare for tough talks. climate finance and emissions reductions. The goal is for the meeting to reach an agreement by the end of next week.

What is methane?

According to UNEP, human-caused methane emissions They are responsible for roughly one-third of the planet’s current warming. Reducing these emissions is the fastest, most cost-effective way to slow global warming in the near term and is necessary to prevent critical climate damage.

Three industries account for the majority of anthropogenic commodities: agriculture, waste and fossil fuels. Coal mining contributes 12 percent of emissions in the fossil fuel industry, while the extraction, processing and distribution of oil and gas accounts for 23 percent.

Approximately 20 percent of methane emissions in the waste sector come from wastewater and landfills. Finally, approximately 32 percent of emissions in the agricultural sector come from grazing animals and manure, while another 8 percent come from rice farming.

There is currently about 2.5 times more methane in the atmosphere than in pre-industrial times. emissions have been increasing in recent yearsAccording to the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

How can we reduce methane?

Although methane is considered an ‘aggressive greenhouse gas’, it is actually easier to reduce carbon dioxide, or better known as CO2, the heat-trapping gas, because methane has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere.

Led by UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) The high-tech MARS system uses artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite data to detect gas emissions and help industry and countries detect and deal with large methane emissions.

“Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip service to this challenge as the answers stare them in the faceUNEP Executive Director Ms Anderson said:

Instead, they should recognize the significant opportunity presented and begin to respond to the warnings by plugging the leaks that release climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. “The tools are ready, the goals have been set, now it’s time to take action,” he said.

While there is still much to do, the report highlights examples of countries and companies responding and proves the value of data-driven solutions like MARS. In 2024, the IMEO facility confirmed action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the USA.

In Algeria and Nigeria, MARS notifications and participation led governments and oil and gas companies to take direct action against major methane leaks. In the Nigerian case, for example, UNEP says the six-month leak emitted methane equivalent to driving 400,000 cars for a year and could be fixed in less than two weeks simply by replacing faulty equipment.

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