Why In The News?

India has been identified as a major methane-emission hotspot from crop-residue burning, according to a UN report released on November 17, 2025 at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Stubble burning, already a key air-pollution source, is now flagged as a major climate threat, and reducing it would benefit both public health and the climate.

1) Key Findings of the Report:

• Global Ranking: India is the world’s third-largest methane emitter after China and the United States, releasing 31 million tonnes annually.
• G20 Contribution: The G20 countries, including India, account for 65% of global methane emissions, while total global emissions are 360 million tonnes per year.
• Future Outlook: The report notes that although methane levels are rising, emissions could decline by 2030 with strong mitigation efforts.
• Climate & Food Benefits: Reducing methane is one of the fastest and most effective climate actions, also lowering crop losses and improving food security, as highlighted by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

2) India’s Methane Profile:

• Major Sources: India’s key methane sources include livestock (enteric fermentation, manure) and rice cultivation, with crop-residue burning becoming a major emerging hotspot.
• Waste-Management Impact: Waste-burning methane emissions increased from 4.5 million tonnes (1995) to 7.4 million tonnes (2020) – a 64% rise, compared to a 43% global increase.
• Sector-wise Emissions (2020): India generated 20 million tonnes of methane from agriculture and 4.5 million tonnes from the energy sector in 2020.

3) About Methane:

• Basic Definition: Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, made of one carbon and four hydrogen atoms (CH₄).
• Key Properties: It is odourless, colourless, tasteless, lighter than air, and burns with a blue flame during complete combustion, producing CO₂ and H₂O.
• Role as Natural Gas: Methane is the primary component of natural gas, widely used as a fuel.
• Greenhouse Gas Importance: Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO₂).
• Global Warming Potential: It has a 20-year GWP of 84, meaning it traps 84 times more heat than CO₂ over the same period.
• Atmospheric Lifetime: Although highly potent, methane is short-lived in the atmosphere compared to CO₂.
• Contribution to Warming: It is responsible for about 30% of global temperature rise since the pre-industrial era.
• Ozone Formation: Methane also helps form ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant.

4) Global Methane Pledge(GMP):

• About the Pledge: Launched at COP26 (2021) by the United States and the European Union to catalyse action on methane reduction.
• Membership: Nearly 130 countries have joined; collectively responsible for 45% of global human-caused methane emissions.
• Targets: Countries commit to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.
• Climate Impact: A 30% reduction could avoid 0.2°C warming by 2050, supporting the 1.5°C target.
• India’s Status: India is not a participant, despite being among the top five global methane emitters, mainly from agriculture.

5) Global Methane Initiative (GMI):

• Nature of Initiative: An international public-private partnership promoting methane recovery and use as a clean energy source.
• Technical Support: Provides technical assistance to implement methane-to-energy projects worldwide.
• Country Participation: Helps partner nations deploy methane utilisation projects; India is a partner country.

6) Methane Alert and Response System (MARS):

• Purpose: A data-to-action system delivering reliable and actionable methane-emission data for mitigation.
• Launch: Announced at COP27 (2022); pilot phase began in January 2023.
• Technology: Uses satellite-based detection to identify major methane sources globally.
• Action Mechanism: Provides notifications to countries and companies, enabling rapid response and emission reduction.
• Partnerships: Operates with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• Core Components: Detection, notification, response, and progress tracking for emission control.

7) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO):

• Establishment: Launched at the G20 Leaders’ Summit (2021).
• Initial Focus: Concentrated on methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector.
• Data Integration: Combines information from scientific studies, satellites (via MARS), OGMP 2.0 reporting, and national inventories.
• OGMP 2.0 Role: UNEP’s flagship programme to enhance accuracy and transparency of methane reporting in the oil and gas industry.

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