Climate experts urge action to cut methane

Cutting methane emissions is the fastest and most powerful way to slow global warming this decade, according to a new report from the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG). 

The group warns that unless urgent action is taken, methane alone could lock in up to 0.3°C of additional warming by 2030 – a change that could mean the difference between manageable climate disruption and a full-scale global crisis.

Methane has already contributed to nearly half of the planet’s warming since the Industrial Revolution. Although it stays in the atmosphere for just over a decade – far less than carbon dioxide – it is more than 80 times more potent over the short term. This means that slashing methane emissions now offers one of the most immediate and cost-effective ways to curb dangerous warming while longer-term solutions to reduce CO₂ continue to be developed.

The CCAG report highlights a range of low-cost, proven solutions across the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. These include stopping the venting and flaring of methane in oil and gas operations, improving leak detection and requiring companies to report emissions transparently. In agriculture, it recommends limiting methane from large industrial farms, promoting more sustainable livestock feeds and rice farming practices, and supporting smallholders with targeted finance and training. On waste, it calls for universal collection and separation, diverting organic waste from landfills, and reforming food systems to reduce waste at its source.

Implementing these measures could cut global methane emissions by up to 45% by 2030. In addition to slowing climate change, these actions would bring immediate public health benefits, protect food supplies, and safeguard communities already on the front lines of climate impacts.

Sir David King, Chair of CCAG said: “Methane is the emergency brake on climate heating that we can pull right now. It is more than 80 times more powerful than CO₂, yet is still treated as an afterthought. That blind spot is costing us precious time. The solutions are here, they are affordable, and they deliver immediate benefits for health, food security, and livelihoods. What’s missing is political will. This report shows leaders exactly how to pull the brake. If we fail to act now, we will lose our last real chance to slow near-term warming.”