Austria Becomes Member of Methane Reduction Coalition
Austria joins the international initiative to reduce methane emissions founded a year ago. The goal of the now more than 100 countries is to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2020.
"If Austria wants to be at the forefront of climate protection, then we have to make our contribution everywhere. It was time for Austria to join the international coalition to reduce methane emissions," Gewessler said. / Picture: © BMK / Cajetan Perwein
Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler announced the entry after a meeting with U.S. Climate Change Envoy John Kerry, according to ORF. The meeting took place at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh, the ministry said, according to ORF.
The Methane Reduction Coalition was launched by the U.S. and EU in November 2021 as part of the COP 26 global climate conference in Glasgow. This is an initiative to reduce global methane emissions.
Gewessler now hopes for further steps in climate protection at the next world climate conference, COP27 in Egypt in November, according to ORF.
Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, being around 80 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. Among other things, it is released in agriculture during the digestion process of cattle and in the natural gas, oil and coal industries.
Rapidly reducing methane emissions complements actions targeting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. It is often considered the most effective strategy to immediately reduce global warming and achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In joining the Global Methane Pledge, countries commit to a collective goal of reducing methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels. To quantify methane emissions, the best emission inventory methodologies are used, focusing particularly on large sources of emissions.