PALIKIR, Pohnpei—During the 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the Honorable Andrew R. Yatilman—Secretary of the Department Environment, Climate Change, & Emergency Management—spoke at a high-level panel on methane mitigation. Joined by the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy on Climate, John Kerry, as well as well as T.H. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment & Climate Change for Canada, T.H. Djafer-Cherif Mohamed, Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources for Algeria, and T.H. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, Permanent Secretary of Petroleum Resources for Nigeria, Secretary Yatilman called for urgent global action on tackling methane.
“Reducing methane emissions is a lifeboat for us all. Nearly half of current net global warming comes from methane emissions. So, cutting these emissions is critically needed to avoid the dangers of surpassing 1.5℃,” Secretary Yatilman said in his statement.
Secretary Yatilman highlighted the FSM’s own initiatives to address methane, such as including methane reduction in the Nation’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution, and the development of a National Methane Action Plan. Then, the Secretary urged developed countries to step up their efforts on tackling methane.
“In order to protect our survival – we need the major methane emitting countries to do more too. We invite all G20 countries to rise to this challenge. In fact, we hope all countries will join this movement to reduce methane and keep 1.5 alive,” Secretary Yatilman said.
The FSM is one of 130 countries to have signed the Global Methane Pledge. Launched by the United States of America and the European Union, signatories commit to cutting at least 30% of their methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon and accounts for nearly half of the net warming experienced at present. Cutting methane emissions, and other super pollutants, is widely seen as one of the World’s best hopes at limiting the worst impacts of Climate Change.
