Opportunities for Bilateral Methane Cooperation

The briefing outlines potential U.S.-China collaborations to mitigate methane emissions, highlighting research and development in enteric fermentation and rice cultivation, knowledge sharing on biodigesters and remote sensing, and the application of economic and regulatory incentives. It emphasizes the role of subnational engagement, particularly through California, while noting that trade tensions and intellectual property concerns may impede progress.

• Effective global measures could reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by 45% within 10 years, which would lower the projected 2045 warming by nearly 0.3°C and support the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping warming under 1.5°C.
• Agriculture accounts for approximately 40% of total methane emissions in both the U.S. and China. Globally, agricultural methane is driven primarily by enteric fermentation (66%), rice (20%), and manure management (7%).
• Bilateral R&D opportunities exist for reducing enteric emissions, with potential strategies ready for deployment in two to three years if global studies are conducted. Estimated global costs for this work are between $100 million and $200 million USD. Specific inhibitors include 3NOP, which reduces emissions by about 30%, and red algae, which can reduce emissions by up to 80%.
• There are significant opportunities for knowledge exchange regarding waste management: China is a world leader in small-scale and community biodigesters (75-80% penetration), while the U.S. has advanced experience in producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from landfills and wastewater.
• Remote sensing technology offers a path for collaboration to identify methane 'hotspots' and leaks. The U.S., China, and EU could potentially collaborate to provide this data to developing countries as a framework for technology and capacity-building rather than compliance.
• Economic and regulatory incentives are critical for scaling mitigation. California's use of cap-and-trade, low-carbon fuel standards (LCFS), and organic waste recycling mandates (SB1383) are viewed as potentially exportable models for other jurisdictions, including China.
• Bilateral cooperation faces challenges due to trade sensitivities, intellectual property concerns, and food security. Specifically, China's potential reluctance to accept dairy or rice products resulting from genetic engineering or feed additives could hinder the adoption of certain mitigation technologies.

APA

Barbanell, M., & Zwicker, G. (n.d.). Opportunities for Bilateral Methane Cooperation. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/methane-briefing.pdf

Chicago

Barbanell, Melissa, and Gillian Zwicker. Opportunities for Bilateral Methane Cooperation. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/methane-briefing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barbanell |first1=Melissa |last2=Zwicker |first2=Gillian |title=Opportunities for Bilateral Methane Cooperation |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/methane-briefing.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barbanellndopportunities, author = {Barbanell, Melissa and Zwicker, Gillian}, title = {{Opportunities for Bilateral Methane Cooperation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/methane-briefing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }