Summary

This session first introduced the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), a global effort to reduce methane emissions. It then shared the technical achievement and outcomes of the Japanese advanced satellites, Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), which observe methane concentrations, and discussed how such technologies and data can be effectively utilised to provide reliable scientific data that are essential to developing appropriate policies for reducing methane emissions.

The first speaker highlighted that, while more commitment is needed to achieve the GMP target, the number of the countries that include methane mitigation ambition in their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) has increased in recent years. The second speaker explained how GOSAT, satellites that observe atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), has contributed to improving the accuracy and transparency of emission estimation of CO2 and CH4, and how the Japanese government supports other Asian countries’ emission calculations and reports. The third speaker elaborated on the technical capability and research results of the series of GOSAT. The fourth speaker presented the status of its waste management sector which is one of the largest sources of CH4 emissions and its limited capacity to calculate national CH4 emissions. The fifth speaker highlighted the expectations and challenges of how the satellite data can be utilised and reflected in the policymaking to mitigate CH4 emission.