I. Global Policy Initiatives

Global Methane Pledge (GMP)

• Launch: COP26, Glasgow, UK (November 2021).
• Led by: United States and European Union.
• Target: Reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
• Signatories: Over 150+ countries as of 2024.
• Sectors Covered: Energy (oil, gas, coal), agriculture (livestock, rice), and waste.

II. Data & Monitoring Systems

A. International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO)

• Organization: UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Launched: G20 Leaders’ Summit 2021.
• Mission: To create a public global dataset of empirically verified methane emissions, integrating data from satellites, industry reporting (OGMP 2.0), scientific studies, and national inventories.
• Role: Core implementing partner of the Global Methane Pledge.

B. Methane Alert and Response System (MARS)

• Organization: UNEP’s IMEO.
• Launched: COP27, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (November 2022).
• Description: The world’s first global publicly available satellite-based system connecting methane detection to transparent notification processes for large emission events.

C. Global Methane Tracker

• Organization: International Energy Agency (IEA).
• Type: Annual flagship report and online data tool.
• Key Insight: Found that 40% of 2023 emissions could have been avoided at no net cost and a 75% reduction by 2030 is crucial for the 1.5°C target.

D. MethaneSAT

• Organization: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
• Launch: March 4, 2024.
• Status: Lost in space. Contact was lost in June 2025 and the satellite was declared unrecoverable in July 2025.
• Purpose: Was designed to provide high-precision emissions mapping over broad areas with a “name and shame” approach to accountability.

E. Climate TRACE

• Type: Collaborative initiative for real-time global GHG emissions tracking.
• Technology: Uses AI, satellite imagery, and remote sensing to track over 660 million sources worldwide.

F. Global Methane Emitters Tracker (GMET)

• Organization: Global Energy Monitor.
• Focus: Maps and tracks fossil fuel methane emissions from specific assets like mines, pipelines, and extraction sites, integrating data from Climate TRACE.

III. Industry Reporting & Partnerships

Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0)

• Organization: UNEP and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).
• Framework: The leading standard for measurement-based reporting of methane emissions for the oil and gas industry. Companies commit to measuring and reporting emissions across all assets.
• Verification: Data is subject to third-party auditing and feeds into the IMEO for verification.

IV. Oil & Gas Sector Initiatives

A. Global Decarbonization Accelerator (GDA)

• Launched: COP28, Dubai, UAE (December 2023).
• Description: A comprehensive umbrella initiative led by the COP28 Presidency to speed up the energy transition and reduce global emissions through 5 key components, including the OGDC.

B. Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC)

• Launched: As part of the GDA at COP28.
• Signatories: Over 50 companies representing ~45% of global oil production.
• Key Ambitions:
  • Net-Zero Operations (Scope 1 & 2) by or before 2050.
  • Near-Zero Upstream Methane Emissions by 2030.
  • Zero Routine Flaring by 2030.
• Critical Limitation: This is a voluntary initiative and does NOT cover Scope 3 emissions (from the combustion of sold products), which account for 80-95% of the industry’s total emissions.

V. Certification & Market-Based Schemes

MiQ Certification (Methane Intelligence)

• Type: Independent, third-party certification standard for natural gas based on methane emissions performance.
• Grading System: Assigns an A to F grade based on methane intensity, company practices, and monitoring technology deployment.
• Market Mechanism: Creates a market for “differentiated gas,” allowing buyers to purchase gas certified for its low-methane footprint, tracked via a digital registry.

VI. Inter-Relationships Between Initiatives

• Data Integration: IMEO acts as a central hub, receiving data from MARS (satellites), OGMP 2.0 (industry), and scientific studies.
• Policy Links: The Global Methane Pledge is implemented by IMEO. The GDA is the umbrella for the OGDC.
• Market vs. Regulatory: MiQ Certification provides a voluntary, market-based approach, while OGMP 2.0 provides a standardized reporting framework that feeds into UNEP’s global database.

VII. Key Summary

• ✓ Global Methane Pledge: Launched at COP26 (Glasgow, Nov 2021).
• ✓ OGDC & GDA: Launched at COP28 (Dubai, Dec 2023).
• ✓ MARS: Launched at COP27 (Egypt, Nov 2022).
• ✓ MethaneSAT: Launched March 2024, but became non-operational in July 2025.
• ✓ LOW-Methane: A COP28 initiative focused specifically on the waste sector.