The UK must urgently get its methane emissions under control in a bid to tackle climate change in the near term, government advisers have said.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change. Over a 20-year period, methane is estimated to be more than 80 times more potent than CO2 in its climate warming potential. However, its effect also dissipates in decades – unlike carbon dioxide, which can last for centuries. This makes it a prime target for emission reduction in a bid to meet climate targets.
A report from the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has urged the government to produce more robust plans on how to tackle the UK’s methane emissions. The previous government failed to sign up to the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) which aims to cut global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. GMP now has a number of prominent signatories, including the EU, Germany, Japan and the US.
Nevertheless, global methane concentrations...