Reducing methane emissions is key to the climate fight

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics explains the critical role of methane (CH4) in driving climate change and outlines the sectors and policy gaps associated with its reduction to meet the 1.5°C temperature target.

• Methane is the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, possessing 28 times more warming power over a 100-year period despite remaining in the atmosphere for only about nine years. Current concentrations have reached more than two-and-a-half times pre-industrial levels, contributing to nearly a quarter of observed warming.
• Human activities account for more than half of global methane emissions, primarily driven by three sectors: agriculture (40%), fossil fuels (35%), and waste (20%). Within these, livestock production accounts for 32% of agricultural emissions, while the fossil fuel sector is split between oil and gas extraction, processing, and distribution (23%) and coal mining (12%).
• Aggressive methane reduction across the three primary sectors could lower human methane emissions by 45% by 2030, potentially avoiding 0.3°C of global warming by the 2040s, 26 million tonnes of crop losses, and 255,000 premature deaths. The fossil fuel industry offers the highest potential for low-cost cuts, with up to 98% of coal measures and 80% of oil and gas measures implementable at low or negative cost.
• Government action is currently insufficient, with only nine out of 174 countries that submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) setting a separate target for methane. While 148 countries include agriculture in their NDCs, 86% of those (128 countries) do not provide concrete actions for reducing farming emissions, relying instead on vague or broader economic targets.
• Reducing methane emissions is more cost-effective if done immediately; costs for abatement by 2030 could be under USD 600 per tonne, but are expected to be roughly 50% higher by 2050. In agriculture, reducing food waste, improving livestock management, and decreasing animal product consumption could cut emissions by 65–80 million tonnes annually.

APA

Team, Z. (2021). Reducing methane emissions is key to the climate fight. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/science/reducing-methane-emissions-is-key-to-the-climate-fight/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Reducing methane emissions is key to the climate fight. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2021. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/science/reducing-methane-emissions-is-key-to-the-climate-fight/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Reducing methane emissions is key to the climate fight |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=2 September 2021 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/science/reducing-methane-emissions-is-key-to-the-climate-fight/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2021reducing, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Reducing methane emissions is key to the climate fight}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/science/reducing-methane-emissions-is-key-to-the-climate-fight/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }