Well. Here we are! World leaders are about to announce the Global Methane Pledge with – at last count, just over a hundred countries on board. Read on for how to watch and who to talk to on methane’s big day at COP26.
Here’s what’s happening in methane:
We’re kind of a big deal
Today is methane’s big day at COP26 (you might call it methane’s… moment ?). The U.S.- and the EU-led Global Methane Pledgelaunches today at 1pm GMT. Here’s what you need to know.
- 101 countries have joined as of 11:15am GMT (this number and others below, may rise by 1pm)
- Notable new additions in the past 24 hours: Brazil, Kuwait
- Countries involved represent nearly half of global methane emissions
- Countries involved represent more than two-thirds of global GDP
- Countries involved represent around three-quarters of global gas production
- The full list of countries will be available at GlobalMethanePledge.org
Countries joining the Pledge are committing to join together to cut global emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by the end of this decade, using direct measures.
Come talk to our experts
The Methane Moment pavilion (Hall 5, PV 90) will show the live feed of the Pledge announcement at 1pm GMT. It will also stream here. Whether you’re watching at the pavilion or elsewhere at COP26, we encourage everyone to come by this afternoon, where we’ll have experts available to discuss the Pledge and methane generally. The schedule:
- 1pm GMT: Pledge event
- 2-3: Experts available
- 3pm: IEA Chief Economist Tim Gould
- 4pm: Mark Brownstein, Sarah Smith, Deborah Gordon, and Kalee Kreider
Catch up:
- Columbia Minister of Mines and Energy Diego Mesa (Watch here)
- Sharon Wilson and John Beard on Permian Climate Bomb (Watch here)
U.S. announces flurry of methane rules
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules to sharply curtail methane emissions from oil and gas wells today, as the U.S. and the EU are due to formally unveil the Global Methane Pledge at COP26. The rules on existing and new operations will impose more frequent and strict leak monitoring at compressor stations and gas-fired pneumatic controllers, and require the capture of gas vented or flared as a byproduct of oil extraction. “All told, the estimate is that about 75% of all methane emissions will be covered by this EPA rule,” a senior administration official told reporters. The Department of Interior also announced new rules on emissions on public lands, and the Department of Transportation issued new PHMSA rules for all onshore gas gathering pipelines.
Upcoming events in Methane:
3 November:
- 9:30 – Interview: Ecopetrol CEO Felipe Bayón
- 10:00 – Interview: Petronas Chief Sustainability Officer Charlotte Wolff-Bye
- 12:00 – EDF Chief Scientist Steve Hamburg on the State of Global Methane Emissions
- 15:00 – Remote Panel: Methane Leakages in Europe
- 17:00 – Interview: Ryan Panchadsaram, co-author of Speed & Scale
4 November:
- 8:30 – Interview: Jason Anderson, Program Director, Governance & Diplomacy and Super Pollutants, ClimateWorks Foundation
- 9:00 – Interview: Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner
- 10:00 – Interview: Larry Kramer, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- 10:30 – Interview: Antha Williams, Global Head of the Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies
- 11:00 – Panel: The Need for Speed with Dr. Tim Lenton of University of Exeter, Pam Pearson of ICCI, Sarah Smith of CATF and Durwood Zaelke of IGSD
- 12:00 – Panel: Catalyzing Methane Emissions Reduction for a More Equitable, Sustainable Future
- 15:30 – Space Race to Save the Climate with MethaneSAT, Carbon Mapper, GHGSat, and Kayrros
- 17:00 – Agriculture and Food System Policies to Reduce Methane with Richie Ahuja AVP, Climate Smart Agriculture, EDF
Bessie With the Good Hair
(Climate change is scary. Scotland’s highland cattle – aka hairy coos – are very cute. Cattle generate a lot of methane: Sustainable farming practices are an important part of solving climate change.)
Bessie’s just so excited she can’t help herself. What a day!
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