Going beyond CO2: Strengthening action on global methane emissions under the UN climate regime

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• Date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12329
• Author: Veera Pekkarinen

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  RECIEL. 2020;29:464–478.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/reel

1 | INTRODUCTION

In the early 1990s , the United Nations Fram ework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC)1 was built on the underst anding that fos-

sil-fuel-related c arbon dioxide (CO2) was the m ost importan t con-

tributor to climate change.2 While this is still th e current

understa nding, we now know that me eting the goals of the Pa ris

Agreement on c limate change will requi re not only radical r eductions

in CO2 emissions but al so more action to addre ss methane and other

non-CO2 greenh ouse gases, keeping in mi nd that such action ca nnot

replace or be use d to delay the urgent and necessar y reductions in

CO2 emissions.3

According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change

(IPCC) 1.5°C Spe cial Report, mee ting the Paris Agr eement’s goal

 1United Nation s Framework Conve ntion on Climate C hange (adopted 2 9 May 1992,

entered into fo rce 21 March 1994) 1771 UNTS 107 (U NFCCC).

 2JB Wiener, ‘Som ething Borro wed for Somethi ng Blue: Legal Trans plants and th e

Evolution of Gl obal Environme ntal Law’ (20 01) 27 Ecology Law Q uarterly 1295 , 1309,

referring to D B odansky, ‘The U nited Nations Fr amework Conven tion on Climate

Change: A Comm entary’ (1993) 18 Yale J ournal of Inter national Law 451, 517.

 3NHA Bowerma n et al, ‘The Role of S hort-lived Clim ate Pollutant s in Meeting

Temperature G oals’ (2013) 3 Natur e Climate Change 1021; R T Pierrehumb ert,

‘Short-live d Climate Pollut ion’ (2014) 42 Annual Re view of Earth an d Planetary S ciences

341.

Received: 13 Marc h 2019 

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  Accepted: 15 March 2 020

DOI: 10 .1111/reel .12329

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Going beyond CO2: Strengthening action on global methane

emissions under the UN climate regime

Veera Pekkarinen

This is an open ac cess article und er the terms of the Crea tive Commons Attr ibution License, w hich permits use , distribution an d reproduction i n any medium,

provided the o riginal work is prop erly cited.

© 2020 The Autho rs. Review of Europea n, Comparative & Inter national Environm ental law publishe d by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Correspondence

Email: veerajulia.pekkarinen@uef.fi Abstract

According to the 1.5°C Spe cial Report of the Intergover nmental Panel on Climate

Change, limiting glob al warming to 1.5 or 2°C , as specified in the Pari s Agreement,

will require signific ant reductions, bot h in cumulative carbon dioxid e emissions and

in short-lived climate pollut ants, including methane . This article seeks to explo re how

action on global m ethane emissions could be streng thened under the United Natio ns

climate regime, par ticularly through the P aris Agreement. To answer this qu estion,

the article beg ins by analysing the existin g methane mitigation and re porting com-

mitments under t he United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Cha nge, the

Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agre ement and the Paris ruleb ook. The article t hen ex-

plores the possibil ities to further st rengthen these commi tments through the Pa ris

Agreement. M ethane can be targeted in future r ounds of nationally determined con-

tributions throu gh specified methane mitig ation targets and strate gies. The reporting

of methane emissions will s ignificantly improve thr ough the enhanced trans parency

framework of the Par is Agreement and the re porting guideline s agreed under the

Paris rulebook . In addition, the art icle identifies several f urther oppor tunities for

strengthening action on methane under the Paris Agreement, including through its

sustainable development mechanism, long-term low greenhouse gas emission devel-

opment strategie s, global stocktake, suppor t and non-party action.

Funding information

This artic le has received fu nding from the

ClimaSlow pr oject, ‘Slo wing Down Climat e Change:

Combining C limate Law and Cli mate Science to

Identify t he Best Option s to Reduce Emissio ns of

Short-Live d Climate Forcers i n Developing

Countries’ ( ERC Grant Agre ement No. 678889)

under the EU Ho rizon 2020 resea rch and

innovation programme.