Global Methane Pledge: Addressing the agri-food sector is crucial to turn an important commitment into an historical breakthrough
The European Alliance for Plant-based Foods (EAPF) welcomes the Global Methane Pledge (“the Pledge”) announced during the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26), which aims to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030. The international commitment is a step in the right direction in the fight against climate change. However, the Pledge falls short of including a major driver of methane emissions: the agri-food sector.
Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide, staying more than 20 years in the atmosphere. Ambitious global actions are therefore needed on methane emissions to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Against this background, the Pledge, co-led by the United States and the European Union, promises to make a real difference by setting a much-needed emission reduction target and collecting the support of over 100 countries, which represent 70% of the global economy and nearly half of anthropogenic methane emissions.
However, while being an unprecedented achievement, the Pledge overlooks a crucial cause of climate change: the agri-food sector and in particular the livestock sector, which are responsible for respectively the 53% and 14% of global methane emissions. Regretfully, the Pledge misses the opportunity to take a firm stance on the climate impact of agricultural activities, whose sustainability transition would be a gamechanger in the global efforts to reduce GHG emissions.
To stop the rise of global temperatures and to avoid further harm to our planet and the people, EAPF calls on the international community to address the impact of the agri-food sector and include clear actions to reduce its related methane emissions to achieve the target of the Pledge. This also requires promoting a shift towards more sustainable food systems with predominantly plant-based diets.
Siska Pottie, EAPF Secretary General, states: “As methane emissions are responsible for at least a quarter of today’s global warming, the Global Methane Pledge brings the world closer to the goals laid down in the Paris Agreement. However, if we want the Pledge to be truly impactful, global leaders need to address a major root cause of methane – the agri-food sector – enabling a transition towards more low-emissions and plant-based food systems.”
Read the full statement here.