Australia at back of the pack on methane as China announces action plan
Australia has fallen behind China in the global race to tackle super-polluting methane emissions.
The news follows an announcement last week ahead of COP28 that China has joined the growing list of countries committing to methane action plans.
The announcement came as Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua concluded talks in the US with his counterpart, John Kerry, and may signal a new US-China climate agreement.
Australia’s methane emissions make up almost a third of national climate pollution, but efforts to reduce these emissions have so far been limited.
Methane is more than 28 times more potent than CO2 in trapping heat over 100 years, and 80 times more potent over 20 years, disproportionately driving near term warming.
China is one of the largest methane emitters in the world, and its energy sector is responsible for 50% of the nation’s methane emissions.
China has not formally reported methane emissions since 2014, but the action plan includes not only a methane target, but advanced satellite monitoring.This goes far beyond what the Australian government has done.
Like China, Australia is a global methane heavyweight. While agriculture is the main source, emissions from coal mines and gas wells may represent over 40% of Australia’s methane emissions, and these are growing rapidly.
The announcement foreshadows a focus on methane at COP28, where the conference President has called for an end to methane emissions by 2030, including banning flaring.