COP29: Opportunities for India to Reduce Methane Emissions

• The 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, is a significant opportunity for India to focus on reducing methane emissions.

• The event, known as the “Finance COP,” will set a new global climate finance goal, known as the “new collective quantified goal” or NCQG.

• Azerbaijan’s action agenda includes pledges to increase battery storage capacity six-fold, expand electricity networks, and cut methane emissions from organic waste.

• Methane accounts for around 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial era, with its atmospheric concentration rising rapidly.

• Cutting methane is a key tool to slow near-term temperature rise and buy time for longer-term CO2 reductions needed to stabilize climate change.

• Despite tensions, the U.S. and China have found common ground in addressing non-CO2 greenhouse gases such as methane.

• India, the world’s third-largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions, has an opportunity to leverage the U.S.-China methane partnership to gain sector-specific financing and capacity-building support.

• The Indian government is working to expand innovative solutions across the country, including the model in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and the Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme.

• The U.S. methane partnership creates an opening for India to seek concrete assistance for its methane mitigation efforts, particularly for its waste sector, which produces over 14% of its methane.