Only 13% methane emissions regulated globally, Queen Mary University researchers find

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom (UK) have found that only 13% of the methane emissions, globally, are regulated. This is despite the fact that these emissions are the reason behind 25% of the global warming happening currently, as stated in a report by PTI.

The researchers also found that when it comes to policies that exist, their effectiveness is still up in the air as it could be the case of unrepresentative methane emission estimations used rather than actual measurements, they point out.

The review of methane policies globally was published in One Earth, a journal, and it looked at all the sources of emissions that are man-made like agriculture, waste and so on.

The task for researchers was to focus on 281 policies, out of which, 255 are in force. These policies are aimed at the reduction of methane emissions. About 90% of these policies are adopted in North America (39%), Europe (30%) and Asia Pacific (21%). There has been an increase in policies since 1974, research shows.

One of the main challenges to measuring methane emissions, the researchers said, is identifying and quantifying sources accurately. Developing and using technologies such as satellites to monitor methane emissions can help policymakers with measurement, verification, compliance and detection of super-emitters, they suggested.