Methane Mitigation Efforts and Prospects in China
English, Chinese
NOV 2024
Policy Brief
Beyond Carbon Climate-Food GAAP
Summary:
This policy brief analyzes methane (CH₄) emissions in China—the second-largest greenhouse gas and a potent short-lived climate pollutant—focusing on emission trends, policy frameworks, and sector-specific mitigation opportunities. It reviews global methane initiatives (Global Methane Pledge, the U.S.-China Sunnylands Statement), summarizes China's Methane Emission Control Action Plan (2023) and related policies, and examines mitigation potentials across energy (coal mine gas utilization), agriculture (livestock feed management, rice cultivation practices), and waste (landfill gas recovery, wastewater treatment) sectors. It identifies key opportunities including the revised coal mine methane emission standard, low-concentration CMM CCER methodology, and the expansion of voluntary carbon markets, while noting challenges such as the high cost of low-concentration methane utilization and diffuse agricultural emissions.
Suggested citation:
Zhu, Tongxin. (2024). Methane Mitigation Efforts and Prospects in China (Policy Brief). Beijing: Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress (iGDP). November 2024.
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