Methane

Email action to Minister Bowen calling on him to fix Australia's methane measurement rules

Email action to Minister Bowen calling on him to fix Australia's methane measurement rules

Call on Minister Bowen to fix methane measurement.

Take action now by using this email tool. It will send an email to Minister Chris Bowen as well as your own local Federal Representative, urging them to turn expert advice into action, by committing to implement robust methane measurement, reporting and verification.

We've left the subject line blank so that you can add your own unique subject line which helps to demonstrate that lots of different people want action on methane. Just make sure to include the word "Methane".

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Subject:

I am writing to you because Australia has a methane problem. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that heats the atmosphere 84 times more intensely over a 20 year period than carbon dioxide.

Cutting methane is a huge opportunity - it’s literally our single best chance to cut the rate of global heating in the short term. UNEP says that if countries successfully cut methane 30% this decade, we’ll avoid 0.2C of global heating by 2040, vital respite while we complete the energy transition.

I’m asking you to commit to a methane target in Australia’s next NDC, and ensure methane emissions are rapidly reduced to 2030, to keep 1.5C alive.

Australia is a severely climate affected country subject to the economic costs, as well as planetary and societal costs of delay; the time to act is now.

Despite Australia signing the Global Methane Pledge over 2 years ago, we have no plan to reduce potent methane pollution, and as yet, haven’t fixed the systemic underreporting of fossil methane emissions by big coal and gas companies.

The Superpower Institute’s Open Methane tool shows that coal and gas companies are likely emitting double what they report - and that the coal and gas industry likely emits more methane than the agriculture industry in Australia. This severely undermines the efficacy of Australian climate policy, including the effectiveness of the Safeguard Mechanism, which is severely distorted as a market while such big uncertainty over true emissions remains.

The IEA made it clear over three years ago in its landmark Net Zero by 2050 report, that the world has no need for further coal and gas production. I implore the Australian government to listen the IEA, and the IPCC, and cease approving further coal and gas projects. I urge the Government to recognise and address the fossil methane emissions that are so out of control, but that offer genuine climate hope.

Australia has a clear opportunity to act rationally and set a methane target in its next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and to establish a National Methane Action plan to drive down emissions this decade, including through the Resources Sectoral Decarbonisation Plan.

I am concerned that Australia is falling behind international counterparts that are taking the opportunity to address the low hanging fruit in climate action; cutting methane pollution from coal and gas mining. These cuts are low cost and achievable. Recent analysis from IEEFA found that prioritising methane emissions makes economic sense; methane emissions from coal can be abated at a cost of just $1/tonne CO2e, and most of the mitigation of gas methane is at no cost.

Our international counterparts Japan, US, Canada, China and New Zealand are just a handful of over 35 nations that have committed to methane targets or methane action plans as part of updating their Nationally Determined Contribution. Global momentum to curb methane continues to grow, with the US Department of State reporting that over 50 countries have or are in the process of developing Methane Action Plans.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) outlines that OECD countries like Australia should reduce coal and gas methane 75% on 2020 levels by 2030 - a target that is both economically feasible and in alignment with our commitment to the Paris Agreement climate goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The secretariat of the Global Methane Pledge, the United Nations Climate and Clean Air Coalition, has made it clear that countries should set methane targets and plans covering the fossil fuel, agriculture and waste sectors in their next NDC. And the G7 have committed to a collective goal of reducing fossil methane by this amount to 2030.

Cleaning up methane in the coal and gas sectors will help alleviate pressure on hard to abate sectors like heavy industry and agriculture and contribute huge emission cuts to help reach Australia’s climate targets. Forming a fossil methane reduction pathway could become a key diplomatic opportunity for Australia to lead on emissions reductions in a prospective COP31 presidency.

This opportunity is supported by the Australian public, recent polling by the Global Methane Hub found that 80% of Australians surveyed support action on methane and 74% support a Methane Action Plan.

Australia’s methane emissions are a significant proportion of our total emissions and an equally significant opportunity for impactful leadership this decade to slow the rate of global heating. By tackling methane, Australia can play a vital part in realising a 0.6C reduction in global temperatures to 2050. I implore you to push for a methane target and action plan - the fastest and cheapest way to cut Australia’s domestic emissions.

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