China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has introduced a comprehensive plan to control methane emissions, as reported by Reuters on November 7. As the world’s largest methane emitter, China aims to enhance “emission monitoring, accounting, reporting, and verification systems”. The plan outlines extensive measures to reduce emissions from coal mining, rice farming, and gas operations. Additionally, it envisions capturing and utilizing more methane as fuel, targeting the use of 6 billion cubic meters of methane gas released from coal mines by 2025. This announcement is seen as a potential step toward a new climate agreement between China and the US during the upcoming APEC summit in San Francisco.

The release of this methane reduction plan precedes the COP28 climate summit, where the reduction of methane emissions from the energy industry is a focal point. COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber praised the plan as a “critical step for global climate action”. However, climate analyst Li Shuo, incoming director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society, noted that while the plan provided “roadmaps for key sectors”, specific numerical targets were notably absent. Over 150 countries, including the US and EU, have committed to reducing methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 under the voluntary Global Methane Pledge (GMP) launched at COP26 in 2021. This initiative aims to prevent more than 0.2˚C of global warming by 2050. Notably, China, along with other major methane emitters such as Russia, India, and Iran, has yet to join this commitment, emphasizing its intention to develop its own pathway.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-unveils-action-plan-reduce-methane-emissions-2023-11-07/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-07/china-releases-plan-to-cut-giant-methane-emissions?srnd=green#xj4y7vzkg

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-releases-methane-control-plan-with-no-reduction-target

https://www.ccacoalition.org/content/global-methane-pledge