Nigeria Joins 14 Countries for Methane Reduction Support

Nigeria is one of 14 developing countries set to receive help under a global plan to cut methane and other harmful pollutants.

This plan, called the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator, offers technical help, dedicated teams, and support to create projects that can attract investment. These efforts aim to help countries lower their emissions.

The announcement came during the Leaders' Level Methane and Other Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases Summit at the ongoing COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye.

Katie White, UK Climate Minister, spoke on behalf of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). She revealed that an extra $25 million is being added to extend the initiative to seven more countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Fiji, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan.

These seven nations will join Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa. These countries were named as the first recipients of the initiative at COP30.

With this new funding, the initiative now has a total of $50 million and aims to help 30 developing countries by 2030.

The program is designed to help countries turn their promises to lower methane and other harmful pollutants into real actions. This will be done through technical support and project development that can draw in investment.

This announcement comes as countries are stepping up efforts to cut methane and other non-CO₂ greenhouse gases.

At the summit, philanthropies pledged more than $480 million to support emission cuts in energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. This also includes efforts on black carbon, clean cooking, transport, and cooling.

This funding adds to over $530 million already provided by philanthropic organizations since the Global Methane Pledge started in 2021.

Brazil, China, and the United Kingdom co-hosted the Leaders' Level Methane and Other Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases Summit, along with the COP31 Presidency. UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, chaired the meeting.

Notable attendees included Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, and China’s Minister of Ecology and Environment, Huang Runqiu, along with other senior representatives from international organizations.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), spoke at the summit. He mentioned that at least 75 percent of methane emissions from fossil fuel activities could be cut using current technologies.

He pointed out that over 60 percent of these reductions could happen at no extra cost. Mr. Birol noted the economic benefits of cutting methane emissions, especially by stopping gas from escaping or being wasted during fossil fuel extraction.

Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, also addressed the summit. He said the bank is backing methane reduction projects in 45 countries, three times the number they committed to at COP28.

He added that these programs are expected to lower methane emissions by 11 million tonnes and help over 160 million people.

He shared success stories from Brazil, where small family dairy farms boosted production by 10 percent while cutting emissions by six percent in just one year. He also mentioned a $1 billion rice program in India that is aiding more than 300,000 farmers.

Earlier, Ms. Mottley urged for stronger global cooperation to tackle methane emissions from fossil fuels, agriculture, and waste management. She said that governments and international partners must help farmers afford the costs of adopting methods to cut methane emissions.

"No one can reasonably expect farmers to bear the cost of adjustment for methane emissions, either in livestock farming or rice paddy farming," she stated.

She also called for nations to move beyond just promises and work towards better international cooperation and rules.

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), echoed the need for stronger regulations, more investment, and practical support for countries to meet their climate goals.

He highlighted the CCAC’s Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator as a plan helping countries turn commitments into actions.

Methane is a strong greenhouse gas that greatly contributes to global warming. Although it does not stay in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, reducing its emissions can help slow warming in the short term.

The summit stressed that cutting methane and other non-CO₂ greenhouse gases is key to efforts aimed at keeping global temperature rise in check, alongside ongoing reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.