Skip to main content

Beijing, China (AFP)(UPDATED) – United States climate envoy John Podesta said Friday that plans were moving forward for a summit with China on reducing emissions of methane and other highly polluting non-CO2 gases.

Talks with Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin and foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing were “excellent”, Podesta said.

While acknowledging “some differences”, Podesta said the two sides had “made plans to hold a summit on non-CO2 gas — methane, N2O, hydrofluorocarbons”.

“They get less attention but they’re fully half of what’s causing global warming,” he said.

China is the world’s top emitter of climate change-inducing greenhouse gases, including methane, followed by the United States.

Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas, CO2. But methane — which is particularly potent but relatively short-lived — is a key target for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate change.

That is because large amounts of methane simply leak into the atmosphere from oil and gas projects.

Methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry have risen for three consecutive years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hitting near-record highs in 2023.

The United States has previously expressed intentions to hold a summit with China on these types of gases at the upcoming United Nations COP29 climate summit hosted by Azerbaijan in November.

pfc/oho/smw

© Agence France-Presse

Featured image credit: Albert Canite | Unsplash

Thousands told to evacuate as ‘extremely strong’ typhoon nears Japan
Thousands told to evacuate as ‘extremely strong’ typhoon nears JapanNews

Thousands told to evacuate as ‘extremely strong’ typhoon nears Japan

By Kyoko HASEGAWA | AFP Tokyo - Japan braced Wednesday for its strongest typhoon of the year, with authorities advising tens of thousands of people…
SourceSourceAugust 28, 2024 Full article
Landmark climate case to open at top UN court
Landmark climate case to open at top UN courtNews

Landmark climate case to open at top UN court

By Jan HENNOP The Hague, Netherlands | AFP - The United Nations' top court will start unprecedented hearings on Monday aimed at setting legal guidelines…
SourceSourceDecember 2, 2024 Full article
Image of the day: Cyclone Chido’s trail of destruction in Mayotte
Mayotte, France - satellite image
Image of the day: Cyclone Chido’s trail of destruction in MayotteNews

Image of the day: Cyclone Chido’s trail of destruction in Mayotte

Cyclone Chido, the most powerful storm to hit Mayotte in nearly a century, left a trail of devastation on December 14, 2024. The French archipelago…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskDecember 18, 2024 Full article