China Set to Release Long-Awaited Methane Plan Before COP28

(Bloomberg) -- The Chinese government is preparing to publish a roadmap to cut emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, before the COP28 summit that starts in November. 

China has completed the plan and is set to release it soon, according to people familiar with the matter, though it still requires sign-off from top leaders in Beijing. China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment did not immediately respond to a fax sent late Wednesday. The methane document probably won’t contain specific targets, two of the people said. It will cover the coal, oil, gas and agriculture industries, according to one of the people. They asked not to be named as they're not authorized to speak to the media.

Beijing declined in 2021 to join an international effort led by the US and European Union to curb the powerful greenhouse gas, saying the plan didn’t offer concrete solutions. China’s top climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, said at the time the country would develop its own proposal instead. A draft was completed and awaiting approval last November. 

Experts say cutting emissions of the gas is one of the most effective ways to slow global warming quickly because of how much heat it traps in the short term. Almost 90% of China’s methane emissions from its energy sector come from coal, which still generates more than half of the country’s electricity. 

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