Nation eyes action plan for methane emissions

China will endeavor to draft an action plan for methane emission control during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period and intensify efforts to establish monitoring and accounting systems for the greenhouse gas, an official said at a news conference on Thursday.

Lu Xinming, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's deputy director for climate change, also said that following thorough research into its methane emissions, the country plans to hammer out effective measures to reduce emissions in sectors including coal mining, agriculture and urban solid waste disposal.

"China will strive to promote the development of technologies to recycle the gas for utilization and reduce its emissions," he said, adding demonstration programs will be launched to boost the development of technologies and equipment.

China will resort to a trading mechanism to motivate companies to reduce their methane emissions, he said, and will support companies able to participate in it.

Lu also vowed intensified efforts to improve the quality of statistics on methane emissions.

While promoting data collection and analysis of methane emissions from key facilities, the country will also strive to assess and follow up the progress of emission reductions in key regions and enterprises, he said.

Lu said China will also strengthen international exchanges and cooperation on management of the greenhouse gas, including those related to policies, technologies and standards.

As one of the key tasks in the country's national strategy to cope with climate change, methane control is also a measure to implement the China-US Joint Glasgow Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, which was announced during the COP 26 United Nations Climate Conference earlier this month.

"Recognizing specifically the significant role that emissions of methane play in increasing temperatures, both countries consider increased action to control and reduce such emissions to be a matter of necessity in the 2020s," the communique said.

The United States has announced its action plan for methane emissions reduction, and China intends to develop a "comprehensive and ambitious" national action plan on methane before the UN climate conference next year, it said.

Lu also said China will strive to promote the establishment of a working group on enhancing climate action with the US, which was also included in the communique.

Chinese government bodies will "continue policy and technical exchanges, as well as identification of programs and projects in areas of mutual interest" with the US, he said.