16-18 April 2018 | Toronto, Canada
Global Methane Initiative Communiqué
As the 2018 Global Methane Forum concludes, we congratulate all Partners and participants for a very successful conference focused on collaborative solutions to address methane emissions across key sectors of the economy. The GMI would like to extend a special thanks to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), who were key partners in this event. Building on the success of the joint 2016 Global Methane Forum, we are proud to have provided a unique opportunity in Toronto for policy-makers, technical experts, scientists, and non-governmental organizations dedicated to the reduction of methane, to discuss options to reduce emissions in all key methane-emitting sectors.
It is important that we continue this international dialogue and collaboration. Mitigating methane has significant environmental, energy, economic, and health benefits. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, considered responsible for nearly one-third of current warming, and a significant air pollutant that contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone.
Because methane has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere than other greenhouse gases, global actions to reduce methane emissions have a faster impact in slowing warming. Reducing methane, in conjunction with other short-lived climate pollutants and CO 2, increases the probability of limiting warming to less than 2°C.
Methane is also an important precursor to ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, itself linked to serious health issues and negative impacts on crop production, with direct impacts on climate change. Methane is expected to drive levels of ground-level ozone upwards over the next decade.
Methane is also the primary component of natural gas, which makes methane a valuable energy resource; but when methane is emitted, it creates serious safety hazards and further contributes to local air pollution. Reducing our methane emissions, especially by capturing and using it, thus provides multiple benefits to local and national economies and by providing cleaner and more affordable energy.
Through our joint technical activities as part of the ongoing work of the GMI, we will continue to raise awareness of the importance of addressing methane, both to contribute to our collective actions to address climate change and air pollution, as well as of the opportunities for recovery of this beneficial energy resource. Our GMI Partners and Project Network members are already working collaboratively through awareness-raising efforts, sharing technical expertise, and promoting technology deployment.
These activities are collectively leading to tangible methane reductions worldwide. Building on this success, we believe more can be done – to incentivize scientific and technological innovations on monitoring, measuring and mitigating methane, as well as facilitating access to financing and investment resources that will allow us to collectively take the next steps.
The GMI Steering Committee believes that 2019 should be dedicated as a year of methane awareness and action among our partners. We will be developing a detailed plan with an announcement to come later this year that will provide opportunities for each Partner to contribute in a meaningful and impactful way to address methane in key sectors.
We invite our partners in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the CCAC to join us in this collective effort.
We look forward to working collaboratively on this important effort to reduce methane emissions.
Together we can make a difference!
