OREANDA-NEWS. The United States and the European Union have a common goal — to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030 (compared to the level of 2020). This follows from the project «Global Methane Pledge», which came to the disposal of journalists, the Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday, September 14.

As the document notes, «the short lifetime of methane in the atmosphere means that taking measures now can quickly reduce the rate of global warming». It is expected to affect the main industries that contribute to methane emissions — oil and gas, coal, agriculture and the waste sector.

More than 20 countries are invited to join the global initiative, including Russia, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Kingdom and others. The project is likely to be presented on September 17 at a meeting of representatives of the countries responsible for the largest amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Methane greenhouse gas emissions are considered the second cause of climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2). The project to reduce methane emissions is being developed on the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will be held in November in Glasgow, Scotland. It was originally planned for 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.

Earlier, in August, the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the United Nations was published, according to which climate changes in all regions of the world will become more noticeable, leading to new dramatic consequences.

Measures to combat climate change have shown success only in the medium and long term: even a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of human activity will stabilize the global temperature only in 20-30 years, the document continues.