Dubai: The United States on Saturday revealed final rules aimed at cracking down on US oil and gas industry releases of methane, part of a plan to control emissions that contribute to the challenge of climate change.
The US and other countries attending the summit are likely to detail how they will obtain a 150-country promise made two years ago to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said that their new standards will help them meet their commitments to aggressively address the issue of climate change, while also improving air quality for people.
COP28: US Reveals Plan to Reduce Oil, Gas Industry’s Methane Emissions
Similarly, US Vice President Kamala Harris quoted the methane regulations among various US initiatives to curb global warming and said they demonstrated the Biden administration had reinstated Washington as an international leader in the struggle against the issue of climate change. “Today, we are showing through effort how the globe can and must meet this challenge,” she said.
The new policies and standards would stop an estimated 58 million tons of methane from reaching the environment between 2024 and 2038 – around the equivalent of all the carbon dioxide emissions from the energy field in the year 2021, EPA maintained.
Several environmental groups lauded the new rules to curb the issue of climate change across the world. The new rule will also produce climate and health benefits of up to $7.6 billion annually through 2038, EPA maintained.
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Similarly, in a landmark move, more than 110 nations have pledged to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030, according to the organizers of the COP28 climate talks hosted by the United Arab Emirates. The participating countries aim to collaborate in elevating global renewable energy generation to at least 11,000 gigawatts by the close of the decade.
The COP28 presidency in Dubai announced that the nations involved will also strive to collectively double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements to more than four percent per year.
COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber revealed that 117 countries have already signed up, surpassing the initially announced number, with expectations of further additions.
