Methane Emissions: Impacts & Mitigation

A UNEP report released at COP30 (Belem, Brazil) identifies India as a global methane hotspot, especially from stubble burning and waste burning.
UNEP notes methane reduction as one of the fastest routes to slowing global warming, with direct benefits for agriculture and food security.

About Methane

Methane is odourless, colourless, and tasteless, and lighter than air. It is the main constituent of natural gas.
It is the most important GHG after carbon dioxide.
Its lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than carbon dioxide (i.e., it is short-lived).
Methane accounts for 30% of global warming since preindustrial times.
Methane is 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period.

India is now the world’s 3rd-largest methane emitter, contributing around 31 million tonnes annually (≈9% of global emissions).
Agriculture is the largest source, led by livestock (enteric fermentation, manure), rice cultivation (projected to rise 8% by 2030).
Crop-residue burning has become a rapidly growing hotspot, reversing global trends and intensifying seasonal pollution in northern India.
Waste burning contributes significantly; emissions rose from 4.5 MT (1995) to 7.4 MT (2020), a 64% increase. Global growth over the same period was 43%.
Agriculture emitted ~20 MT of methane in 2020; the energy sector emitted ~4.5 MT.

Agriculture Sensitivity: Over 54% of India’s workforce depends on agriculture, and livestock, rice, the top methane sources, are politically and socio-economically sensitive sectors.
Food Security Concerns: Rice systems emit 12% of global agricultural methane, and India fears aggressive methane mitigation may risk food security for 1.4 billion people.
No Commitment in NDC: UNEP notes India’s NDC “does not identify actions” to cut agricultural methane; mitigation pledges focus instead on renewables, efficiency, hydrogen and forests.
Past Refusal: India earlier declined to join the Global Methane Pledge (2021), arguing that its priority is adaptation, not mitigation, in agriculture; hence, no policy shift at COP30.

India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) do not specify mitigation measures for agricultural methane, even though it is the largest source.
India continues its stand that farm-sector mitigation cannot be mandated and focus should remain on adaptation.
At COP30, India’s official statement avoided mentioning methane, even as emissions from agriculture and waste systems rise.

Global Methane Pledge: Launched at COP26 by the USA & European Union. Participants joining the Pledge agree to take voluntary actions to contribute to a collective effort to reduce global methane emissions at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.
Global Methane Initiative: It is a voluntary, international public-private initiative that aims to reduce global methane emissions and to advance the abatement, recovery, and use of methane as a valuable clean energy source.
International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO): Launched by UNEP to provide open, and actionable data to to reduce methane emissions.
Methane Alert and Response System (MARS): Launched under IMEO, it is the 1^st global satellite detection & notification system providing actionable data on very large methane emissions across globe.

Farm Diversification: Shift from water-intensive paddy to millets/pulses to reduce methane from rice cultivation. E.g. MSP-backed Shri Anna Mission for climate-resilient cropping.
Methane Capture: Promote CBG plants for landfill methane capture. E.g. SATAT Scheme
Waste Reform: Strict enforcement of waste segregation, landfill capping, and biomethanation.
Methane Monitoring: Use satellite-based monitoring for real-time methane hotspots.
Policy Integration: Include methane mitigation explicitly in NDC updates and state climate action plans.