Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas providing more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide within the first 20 years of it reaching the atmosphere. It is currently estimated to contribute at least a quarter of today’s climate warming.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we must cut methane emissions at least 30 per cent by 2030 – the goal of the Global Methane Pledge – to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.
The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will allow it to corroborate emissions reported by companies and characterise changes over time. It will be part of the body’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy.
“As UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report showed before this climate summit, the world is far off track on efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP.
“Reducing methane emissions can make a big and...