Australia joins pledge to cut methane emissions 30% by 2030

Australia joined the Global Methane Pledge, becoming one of the last major developed economies to sign on to an effort to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas 30% from 2020 levels by the end of this decade.

Announcing the decision to sign the methane pledge on Sunday, Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said meeting the 2030 target could help avoid 2C (3.6F) of warming across the planet.

“Methane is 24% of Australia’s emissions and we are the world’s 11th biggest emitter of methane, so it’s very important that we have a seat at the table and we are part of the solution,” he said, adding that the main sources of the gas in Australia were mining and agriculture.

Canberra’s participation is the latest push by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government to improve the nation’s climate standing on the world stage. In September, the government passed a law requiring a 43% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and setting a net zero goal by 2050, its first binding emissions-reduction target.

Cutting methane releases in Australia could prove tricky if farmer or miners balk at the changes needed to meet the agreement’s goals.

Officials in New Zealand, the world’s largest dairy exporter, said in October its farmers will start to pay a levy on agricultural emissions by 2025, a move Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said would be a world first.

Australia announced A$5 million ($3.2 million) in new research funding on Sunday to examine how best to reduce emissions from livestock through low-emission feeds.

—Bloomberg