Over US$480 Million Announced at COP31 Leaders’ Summit to Accelerate Action on Methane and Other Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases
A further US$25 million announced for the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator, supporting 7 additional countries to turn commitments into implementation
Leaders, ministers and international partners gathered at COP31 today to accelerate action on methane and other non-CO₂ greenhouse gases, highlighting the economic opportunities of cutting emissions and announcing more than US$480 million in new philanthropic funding, stronger international cooperation and expanded support to help countries turn commitments into measurable results.
Co-hosted by Brazil, China and the United Kingdom, alongside the COP31 Presidency, the Leaders’ Level Methane and Other Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases Summit was chaired by UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband. Participants included Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, COP31 Negotiations President and Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu, COP30 CEO Ana Toni, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen, and ministerial and senior representatives from France, Germany, Norway and Türkiye. The Summit also featured Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Christie Ulman, President of the Sequoia Climate Foundation.
At the launch of the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, philanthropies committed US$300 million to support implementation. Since then, philanthropic funders have delivered more than US$530 million. The new commitment of US$480 million will support methane reductions across energy, agriculture and waste, alongside action on black carbon, clean cooking, transport and cooling.
“Every tenth of a degree matters, and we have an opportunity to deliver real benefits for communities by acting now,” said Christie Ulman, President of the Sequoia Climate Foundation. “This new commitment will accelerate practical solutions across energy, agriculture, waste, clean air and cooling. Philanthropy can help catalyse action, but government leadership and private investment are essential to delivering change at scale.”.
Opening the Summit, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados called for stronger action on methane across fossil fuels, agriculture and waste, highlighting the significant business opportunities in the fossil fuel and waste sectors while stressing the need to support farmers in the transition. “No one can reasonably expect farmers to bear the cost of adjustment for methane emissions, either in livestock farming or rice paddy farming,” Prime Minister Mottley said.
She called for financing from national governments, the international community and philanthropy, while urging countries to move beyond voluntary commitments towards stronger international cooperation and regulation.
Australia announced its endorsement of the UK-led Statement on Drastically Reducing Methane Emissions in the Global Fossil Fuel Sector. COP31 President Chris Bowen highlighted the economic opportunities associated with capturing methane that would otherwise be wasted, alongside the importance of improved emissions measurement and international cooperation.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, reinforced the economic case for action, highlighting that at least 75% of methane emissions from fossil fuel operations could be reduced using existing technologies, with more than 60% of these reductions achievable at no net cost.
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, highlighted how methane reductions are already delivering tangible economic and development benefits across agriculture, waste and energy. The World Bank is now supporting methane reduction programmes in 45 countries, three times the number committed at COP28, with programmes on track to reduce 11 million tonnes of methane and benefit more than 160 million people.
In agriculture, Banga cited results from Brazil, where small family dairy farms increased yields by 10% while cutting emissions by 6% in just one year. He also highlighted a US$1 billion rice programme in India supporting more than 300,000 farmers, demonstrating how methane reductions can go hand in hand with higher productivity, stronger livelihoods and economic growth.
Huang Runqiu, China's Minister of Ecology and Environment, outlined China's progress in reducing methane and other non-CO₂ greenhouse gases, highlighting the inclusion of these pollutants in the country's economy-wide emissions control target for 2035. He noted that China's latest Five-Year Plan prioritises non-CO₂ emissions reductions, with a target to establish 30 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent abatement capacity by 2030.
The Minister highlighted measures to control methane emissions across energy, agriculture and waste, alongside action on industrial nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. He also called for stronger international cooperation through knowledge sharing, technology development and transfer, and market-based incentives to mobilise greater investment in emissions reductions.
While proven solutions are increasingly delivering economic and climate benefits, many countries still face barriers to implementing them at scale. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, called for stronger policies, increased investment and practical support to close this gap, highlighting the CCAC's Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator as an initiative helping countries turn commitments into action.
Speaking on behalf of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) partnership in the United Kingdom's capacity as Co-Chair, UK Climate Minister Katie White announced a further US$25 million to expand the Accelerator to seven additional countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Fiji, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines and Uzbekistan.
They join the original seven countries announced at COP30: Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nigeria and South Africa. Launched with an initial US$ 25 million commitment, the Accelerator now has US$ 50 million in announced funding and aims to support 30 developing countries by 2030. It provides dedicated national teams, technical assistance and support to develop investment-ready projects that can deliver methane and other super pollutant reductions.
Ana Toni, COP30 CEO, stressed that methane reduction has become a permanent priority in the COP process and is essential to limiting the magnitude and duration of temperature overshoot. She highlighted Brazil's work under the COP30 Action Agenda, including the launch of the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator and the No Organic Waste initiative.
Toni also pointed to new non-CO₂ measures in Brazil’s national Climate Plan this year. Next week, it will launch an air quality and climate plan focused on short-lived climate pollutants, with targets to reduce methane emissions by 29% and black carbon by 48%. She emphasised that methane reductions must complement, rather than replace, deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, describing methane action as an “emergency brake that buys us time.”
Heike Henn, State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, highlighted the importance of tackling sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), one of the most potent greenhouse gases, including through the German-led Global SF₆ Pledge launched at COP31. The United Kingdom and European Commission also announced their support for the pledge, strengthening international cooperation to reduce emissions from electricity networks.
Building on successive high-level gatherings at COP28, COP29 and COP30, the Summit underscored a growing consensus: solutions to cut methane and other non-CO₂ greenhouse gases are available, many offer substantial economic benefits, and the priority now is to mobilise the finance, policies and institutional capacity needed to deploy them at scale. Accelerating these reductions is essential to limiting the magnitude and duration of global temperature overshoot.