Methane emission management and control: a long and arduous task, but with great potential.

Global warming is a challenge facing all of humanity. Controlling greenhouse gas emissions is paramount to slowing the rate of global warming. Methane, as an equally important greenhouse gas, is crucial for achieving the temperature control targets set forth in the Paris Agreement.

First, it is beneficial to achieve multiple benefits, including climate control. Methane is not only a greenhouse gas, but also a high-quality fuel and chemical raw material. It is also a major component of methane gas controlled in areas such as coal mine safety. Furthermore, it has synergistic effects with the control of pollutants such as VOCs from oil and gas and odor from landfills. Therefore, effectively controlling methane emissions has the combined benefits of mitigating global warming, economic benefits of energy resource utilization, safety benefits of reducing production accidents, and environmental benefits of synergistic control of pollutants.

Secondly, it helps to slow down global warming. Methane has a high warming potential and a short lifespan. According to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, on a 100-year timescale, methane's global warming potential is 27.9 times that of carbon dioxide, and on a 20-year timescale, it is 81.2 times, with a lifespan in the atmosphere of approximately 12 years. The assessment report also points out that to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the world needs to significantly reduce methane emissions by 2030.

Third, it helps demonstrate China's responsibility as a major power. From a global perspective, strengthening methane emission control and actively participating in relevant international cooperation and exchanges will expand my country's international influence and voice in the global climate change response, and further enhance China's image as a responsible major power.

Foreign methane emission control measures

In recent years, the international community has attached great importance to methane emission control, actively committing to methane reduction and taking practical actions. Methane emissions from developed economies have generally shown a downward trend. Since the 1990s, the United States has successively released the "Methane Emission Reduction Strategy" and the "Methane Emission Reduction Action Plan," launched the Natural Gas and Agriculture Star voluntary emission reduction initiatives, revised and formulated oil and gas and waste emission standards, and implemented a mandatory corporate greenhouse gas emission reporting system. The European Union has vigorously promoted coal phase-out policies, continuously promoted the monitoring, accounting, and reporting of methane emissions, released the "EU Methane Emission Reduction Strategy" in 2020, and adopted regulations on reducing methane emissions from the energy sector in 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, the US and the EU launched the "Global Methane Pledge," committing to a collective 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2020 levels, and held an annual ministerial meeting in November 2022 to review the progress of the commitment. According to the greenhouse gas inventories submitted by the United States and the European Union to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, methane emissions in the United States and the European Union in 2021 decreased by approximately 14% and 37% respectively compared to 1990 levels, while methane emissions in developed countries in 2020 decreased by 29% overall compared to 1990 levels.

my country: Attaching Greater Importance to Methane Emission Reduction Efforts

In recent years, my country has attached great importance to methane emission control. As early as 2007, the State Council's "National Program for Addressing Climate Change" explicitly set forth the goal of "striving to control the growth rate of methane emissions." Since the 12th Five-Year Plan period, documents such as the "Work Plan for Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emissions" issued by the State Council have clearly defined relevant requirements for methane emission control. In 2021, my country's Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued and implemented the "Carbon Pilot Monitoring and Assessment Work Plan," selecting key industries, key regions, and pilot cities to conduct methane greenhouse gas monitoring. In 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued and implemented the "14th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Monitoring," listing the strengthening of methane monitoring capacity building as a key task and carrying out methane greenhouse gas monitoring in pilot marine cities.

Issuance of top-level design document for methane emission management and control

On November 7, 2023, 11 departments, including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission, jointly issued the "Action Plan for Methane Emission Control" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"), which is the top-level design document for my country's methane emission management and control.in,The "Methane Scheme" for the first time clearly defines my country's methane emission control targets for key sectors by 2030, and comprehensively proposes eight key tasks, including strengthening the construction of a methane monitoring, accounting, reporting and verification system, and accelerating emission control in the energy, agriculture and waste sectors.We will certainly take more forceful policies and measures to ensure significant results in controlling methane emissions, based on effectively safeguarding energy and food security.

The "Methane Scheme" is my country's first comprehensive and dedicated policy document on methane emission control. It represents the top-level design and systematic deployment for methane emission control in my country for the foreseeable future.This plan not only has significant guiding significance for further controlling methane emissions, but will also have a profound impact on promoting high-quality economic and social development. The formulation and release of the "Methane Plan" is an important measure to implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, an inherent requirement for promoting high-quality development in my country and advancing the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, a proactive action by my country to address climate change, and a positive contribution to global climate governance.

Next, my country will organize and implement the Methane Plan, continuously strengthen its basic capabilities, enhance methane emission management and control, properly handle the relationship between methane control and energy security, food security, industrial and supply chain security, and ensuring people's livelihoods, actively promote the implementation of methane control tasks and measures in key areas, promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening, and growth, and make China's contribution to actively addressing global climate change.