Since the Global Methane Pledge was announced at COP26 in November 2021, there has been limited progress in implementing methane regulations around the world. InfluenceMap's analysis shows that industry actors have largely opposed efforts to develop ambitious methane policy and regulation.
The maps below illustrate a breakdown in global methane emissions by country, as well as which countries have signed onto the Global Methane Pledge. They also show the current policy landscape for methane regulations in the oil and gas sector and agricultural sector, which have been chosen because they form the largest two contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions. The analysis suggests a disconnect between the number of countries supporting voluntary methane emission reduction targets, and regions that have implemented methane regulation for these key, high-emitting sectors.
Use the maps below to explore the global methane policy landscape and then use the Policy Tracker and Narrative Tracker tools to understand how companies and industry are engaging with the policies currently in play.
InfluenceMap maintains the world’s leading database of corporate and industry association lobbying of climate policy around the globe, covering over 400 companies and 200 industry groups globally. Full details of what our metrics mean are contained within the info icons. A full explanation of our methodology can be found here.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has emphasized the importance of significant reductions in methane emissions to ensure global warming can be limited to 1.5°C by 2050. In its April 2022 Report, the IPCC indicated that to limit global warming to 1.5°C and meet the Paris Agreement's objectives, methane emissions need to be reduced by around 33% by 2030, and 50% by 2050. Using data from the International Energy Agency's Methane Tracker Data Explorer, the map below shows total methane emissions produced by country.
The Global Methane Pledge, launched in November 2021 at COP26, is a non-binding agreement for countries pledging to take voluntary actions to contribute to a collective effort to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. The pledge has 150 participating countries, representing nearly 50% of global anthropogenic methane emissions and over two-thirds of global GDP.
In June 2022, the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway was launched to catalyze methane emission reductions from the oil and gas sector. The Energy Pathway aims to capture the maximum potential of cost-effective methane mitigation in the oil and gas sector and eliminate flaring by 2030. The EU and the US, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, and Oman announced themselves as members of the Pathway.
In contrast to the widespread support for the Global Methane Pledge, very few countries have introduced regulations on methane for the oil and gas sector. Countries with existing methane regulations for the oil and gas sector include Canada, Norway, Mexico and the US, some of which are attempting to strengthen the regulations further. Others such as Colombia and the EU have announced new methane regulations for the oil and gas sector that are currently in the legislative pipeline.
There is currently no national regulation on agricultural methane emissions. Only two countries have declared non-legally binding targets to reduce agriculture-related methane emissions. Uruguay, set two agriculture-related methane emission targets, a 57% reduction per GDP unit by 2025 on 1990 intensity level, and 32% reduction per KG of beef by 2025 on 1990 intensity level. Similarly, New Zealand, announced a target to reduce biogenic methane emissions by 10% compared to 2017 levels, and by between 24 to 47% lower by 2050. New Zealand is also planning to introduce a tax on agricultural methane emissions; the first of its kind.
