Global Methane Initiative

Table of Contents

Global Methane Initiative- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: International Relations– Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
GS Paper 3: Environment– Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation.

India co-chairs Global Methane Initiative Steering Leadership Meeting which has been held virtually.
At Global Methane Initiative (GMI) Steering Leadership Meeting, India informed its participants about the work being carried out by India to mitigate the emission of methane.

Background: Global Methane Initiative (GMI) was launched by the USA as the “Methane to Markets Partnership” in 2004.
- The partnership assumed a new name—the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) — under the Obama Administration, in 2010.
About: The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a valuable energy source.
Mandate: Global Methane Initiative (GMI) forum has been created to achieve a global reduction in anthropogenic methane emission through a partnership among developed and developing countries having economies in transition.
- Global Methane Initiative provides technical support to deploy methane-to-energy projects around the world that enable Partner Countries to launch methane recovery and use projects.
Participation: Global Methane Initiative (GMI) brings together state and non-state actors in a collaborative public-private partnership.
- Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is a voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada.

About: The Global Methane Challenge is an international campaign to catalyze ambitious action around the world to reduce methane emissions and highlight policies and technologies being used to recover and use methane.
Participation: The Global Methane Challenge is open to all public- and private-sector organizations interested in showcasing their actions to address methane emissions.
Significance: Since 2019, more than 70 organizations joined the Global Methane Challenge, highlighting their significant contributions around the world to reduce methane emissions and inspiring others to take action.

About: Methane (CH4) is a hydrocarbon that is the primary component of natural gas and a very potent and important greenhouse gas (GHG).
- Unlike other GHGs, methane can be converted to usable energy.
Sources of Methane:
- Natural Source: Approximately 40% of methane emitted is from natural sources and
- Anthropogenic Sources: About 60% of Methane comes from human-influenced sources, including livestock farming, rice agriculture, biomass burning and so forth.
Warming Potential of Methane: The emission of methane is a big concern as it is a greenhouse gas having 25-28 times harmful effects than carbon dioxide (CO2).
Benefits of reducing Methane:
- Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and emissions are on the rise. So reduction will control global warming.
- Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant, so reductions made now can have significant short-term benefits
- Cost-effective technologies to capture and use methane are widely available today.

About: Global Methane Pledge is a U.S.–EU-led effort to cut methane emissions by a third based on 2020 levels, by 2030.
- Global Methane Pledge was launched by the USA at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF).
- Global Methane Pledge was formalized at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.
Expected Outcomes of Global Methane Pledge:
- Reduced Global Warming: Global Methane Pledge is expected to reduce global heating by 0.2 Degree Celsius by the 2040s, compared with likely temperature rises by then.
- Promote Global Cooperation: Global Methane Pledge will nudge other countries to take similar pledges and cooperate on various global warming-related issues in a more cooperative and complimentary manner.
- Other Benefits: Global Methane Pledge will also produce a very valuable side benefit, like improving public health and agricultural output.