Methane and global climate goals

This briefing paper has also been published individually as a webpage: Methane and global climate goals

Authors: Dr Semra Bakkaloglu, Professor Joeri Rogelj, Dr Robin Lamboll and Jennifer Bird

Media enquiries: grantham.media@imperial.ac.uk
Policy enquiries: j.bird@imperial.ac.uk  

Substantial reductions in methane emissions will be necessary to meet the Paris Agreement goal of holding global warming well below 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels.  

The IPCC estimate of the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5°C (the total net amount of carbon dioxide that can still be emitted while keeping global warming below the 1.5°C threshold) assumes that methane is reduced by about 50% between 2020 and 2050. 

This background briefing covers what reductions in methane emissions are necessary to meet the Paris Agreement, which sectors contribute to emissions, actions the UK should take to meet the Global Methane Pledge, and how the potency and lifetime of methane is accounted for in global targets.

Key points 

• Methane emission reductions are essential and integral to meeting the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.  
• The UK needs to accelerate domestic methane reductions to be in line with a 30% reduction by 2030 (compared to 2020), which is the global target set out in the Global Methane Pledge. 
• The UK can also support delivery of the Global Methane Pledge by using its role as a financial hub to stimulate innovation in methane-reducing technologies. 
• Great care needs to be taken when selecting metrics, such as GWP100 or GWP*, to assess the warming impact from methane. If they are used incorrectly, it may result in misleading messages or could even undermine policy outcomes.