A 45% reduction by 2030 in human-caused methane emissions would prevent global warming of nearly 0.3°C by 2045, helping to put the world on track to meet the Paris Agreement target, says a report released on Thursday 6 May by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), a United Nations initiative.
“Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years”, said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to the paper, a 45% reduction by 2030 would also prevent 260,000 premature deaths per year, 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits and 25 million tonnes of crop losses annually.
While most human-caused methane emissions come from fossil fuels, the waste sector and agriculture, the CCAC points out that readily available solutions could reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030, mainly by fixing methane leaks and vents in the fossil fuel sector and reducing venting (the controlled release of unburned gases directly into the atmosphere).
To see the report: https://bit.ly/3nVv849 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)