Report

Methane: the emergency brake for climate heating

Report Summary

While reducing carbon dioxide remains essential, action on CO₂ alone will not be enough to avert dangerous near-term climate heating. Methane, a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than CO₂ , is responsible for nearly a third of the warming the world has already experienced. This report outlines why rapid methane abatement is the ‘emergency brake’ for the climate crisis – the fastest and most cost-effective lever available to slow warming within our lifetimes. The report outlines practical, proven, and often profitable solutions across the three key emitting sectors: energy, agriculture, and waste. It argues that the main barriers to action are not technological but a lack of political will, regulation, and enforcement , and calls for a dedicated global strategy to unlock the powerful co-benefits of methane cuts for public health, food security, and economic resilience.

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Key Insights

Near-term power: Methane is a short-lived but extremely powerful greenhouse gas, with over 80 times the warming potential of CO₂ in the near term. It has caused approximately 30% of the global warming experienced to date.

The emergency brake: Because methane breaks down quickly in the atmosphere, cutting emissions delivers a measurable cooling effect within years, not generations. This makes it the most effective tool for immediately slowing the rate of heating.

Three core sources: Almost all human-made methane emissions come from just three sectors: energy (oil, gas, and coal), agriculture (livestock and rice), and waste (landfills).

Low-cost solutions: Many proven solutions to cut methane are readily available and low-cost or even profitable, particularly in the energy sector where captured gas can be sold.

The political barrier: The primary obstacles to cutting methane are not a lack of technology or finance, but a lack of political will, weak regulation, and inadequate enforcement.

Powerful co-benefits: Reducing methane delivers immediate gains beyond the climate, including cleaner air, improved public health, stronger crop yields, and safer cities.

Energy sector: The energy sector offers the single biggest opportunity for rapid, deep cuts. Banning routine venting and flaring and mandating leak detection and repair are proven, high-impact measures.

Agriculture: Policy must distinguish between large-scale industrial farms, which require strict regulation, and smallholder farmers, who need support, finance, and access to sustainable practices.

Waste: The most effective way to tackle waste emissions is to prevent organic waste (especially food) in the first place, divert what remains from landfill, and only use methane capture as a final resort.

Measurement and accountability: New satellite and atmospheric measurement technologies are improving our ability to detect leaks and quantify emissions, closing the gap between official inventories and reality and enabling stronger accountability.

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