Methane levels are the highest they’ve been in 800,000 years, according to a new Climate Council report entitled Dangerously Overlooked: Why we need to talk about methane.
The report exposes the critical role of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that is fuelling the climate crisis at an unprecedented rate.
Climate Councillor Lesley Hughes said methane is a climate supercharger and the evil bridesmaid of greenhouse gases.
“It traps 85 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, turbocharging the global warming that is driving extreme events like heatwaves, bushfires, and floods,” Hughes said.
The report said methane is responsible for 25-30 per cent of global warming since pre-industrial times.
Australia's contribution to methane pollution is significant with nearly four million tonnes of methane produced annually, mainly from agriculture (52%) and fossil fuel mining (25%).
Further, the International Energy Agency estimates that Australia could be under-reporting methane emissions from coal and gas by as much as 60 per cent.
Despite signing the Global Methane Pledge to cut global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030, Australia lacks a national plan to contribute to this commitment.
Commenting on the pledge, Hughes said a promise is not a plan.
“We need to establish clear national targets for methane reduction, aligned with the pledge and the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement,” he said.
“Australia is alarmingly overrepresented in global methane emissions. We’re among the world’s biggest methane polluters, producing four to five times more methane per person than the global average.”
Climate Council head of policy and advocacy Jennifer Rayner said it’s time to end coal and gas projects.
She said Australia needs to properly measure, report and reduce methane emissions as a condition of continued operation.
“We cannot ignore methane in our battle to prevent catastrophic climate change, and the coal and gas sector is the fastest and easiest place to start cutting it,” Rayner said.
The report is available at: climatecouncil.org.au