Learn about methane

How can we reduce our methane emissions?

Substantial reductions in methane emissions from human activity, up to 50%, can be achieved with existing technology.

75% achievable reduction in the fossil fuel sector

85% achievable reduction in the waste sector

35% achievable reduction in the agriculture sector

Sector potentials as assessed by UNEP and CCAC (2021), Global Methane Assessment. Agriculture is considered the most challenging sector in which to achieve substantial reductions.

The case for acting is partly about the carbon budget. Failing to abate 100 Tg of methane a year is estimated to cost roughly 300 Gt CO₂ from the remaining budget, which means methane mitigation substantially reduces how much carbon dioxide removal is needed later.

It also matters where the reductions happen. Across most Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, methane emissions from parts of South Asia, southern Africa, and Central and South America contribute as much as or more than regional carbon dioxide emissions to mid-century warming, which makes methane mitigation particularly relevant for many countries in the Global South.

Fossil fuel

Reducing methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector involves a combination of improved technology, better monitoring and updated operational practices. For oil and gas operations, one key strategy is robust leak detection and repair: surveying infrastructure regularly with advanced sensors and fixing leaks quickly cuts emissions substantially. Upgrading equipment to capture or flare methane instead of venting it also helps. In coal mines, capturing coal mine methane before, during and after mining prevents it from escaping and allows it to be used as an energy resource.

Many of the approaches in the oil and gas sector are low cost or profitable.

Waste

Reducing methane emissions in the waste sector means targeting both prevention and capture. For landfills, a key approach is capturing landfill gas, the methane that forms as waste decomposes, and converting it to energy rather than letting it escape. Diverting organic waste from landfills through composting or anaerobic digestion also lowers methane production by reducing the amount of decomposing material. In wastewater treatment plants, advanced anaerobic digestion both prevents leaks and allows operators to capture biogas for heat or power.

The Netherlands has halved its methane emissions since 1990, largely through reductions from landfill.

Agriculture

Reducing methane emissions in agriculture focuses primarily on livestock and rice cultivation. For ruminant livestock, feed improvements and additives, for example certain fats or specific plant-based compounds, reduce the methane generated during digestion. Better breeding and animal husbandry lower overall emissions by reducing the number of animals needed to produce the same amount of food. In manure management, methane can be captured by storing manure in covered lagoons or using anaerobic digesters that turn it into biogas. In rice cultivation, alternate wetting and drying substantially reduces methane production by limiting the waterlogged conditions that favor methane-producing microbes.

Behavioral change

Reducing methane emissions through personal behavior begins at home, particularly in how we handle food and waste. One of the simplest steps is cutting food waste by planning meals, storing ingredients properly and using leftovers: less organic waste in landfill means less methane. Composting food scraps prevents methane formation by allowing waste to decompose in oxygen-rich conditions.

The largest single lever is dietary change. Tens of millions of tonnes of methane emissions per year could be avoided by a global shift toward healthier diets with less meat consumption, because cattle production is one of the largest sources of methane worldwide. Dietary change also carries co-benefits for health and wellbeing.

The global cattle herd numbers approximately 1.4 billion head (FAO, 2024). A dairy cow emits on the order of 140 kg of methane a year and a feedlot beef animal around 45 kg (Liu, 2015, using IPCC 2006 emission factors), which works out to several hundred litres a day. Contrary to popular belief, almost all of it is released by belching rather than flatulence.

References

FAO: Production: Crops and livestock products, FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2024, as compiled by Our World in Data, ourworldindata.org/grapher/cattle-livestock-count-heads.
Liu, Z.: How Much Gas Do Beef or Dairy Cattle Produce?, publication MF3185, Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, 2015.
UNEP and CCAC: Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions, United Nations Environment Programme, 2021.