Global Methane Pledge

• 18 Sep 2021

Why in News

Recently, the US President has announced the Global Methane Pledge, which is an US-EU led effort to cut methane emissions by a third by the end of this decade.

• The announcement has come ahead of 26^th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow, UK.
• This will also help in abiding by the targets of the Paris climate deal.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The pact between the US and the EU sets a target of cutting at least 30% from global methane emissions, based on 2020 levels, by 2030.
  • If adopted around the world, this would reduce global heating by 0.2C by the 2040s, compared with likely temperature rises by then.
    
    • The world is now about 1.2C hotter now than in pre-industrial times.
• Methane Gas:
  
  • About:
    
    • Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH₄).
      
      • It is flammable, and is used as a fuel worldwide.
    • Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas.
    • Approximately 40% of methane emitted is from natural sources and about 60% comes from human-influenced sources, including livestock farming, rice agriculture, biomass burning and so forth.
  • Impact:
    
    • More Global Warming Potential: It is nearly 80-85 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its global warming capacity.
      
      • This makes it a critical target for reducing global warming more quickly while simultaneously working to reduce other greenhouse gases.
    • Promotes Generation of Tropospheric Ozone: Increasing emissions are driving a rise in tropospheric ozone air pollution, which causes more than one million premature deaths annually.
• Related Indian Initiatives:
  
  • ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD): Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.
  • India Greenhouse Gas Program: The India GHG Program led by WRI India (non-profit organization), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an industry-led voluntary framework to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions.
    
    • The programme builds comprehensive measurement and management strategies to reduce emissions and drive more profitable, competitive and sustainable businesses and organisations in India.
  • National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): NAPCC was launched in 2008 which aims at creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it.
  • Bharat Stage-VI Norms: India shifted from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.

Global Methane Initiative (GMI)

• It is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source.
• GMI provides technical support to deploy methane-to-energy projects around the world that enable Partner Countries to launch methane recovery and use projects.
• India is a partner country.

Source: TH