Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for approximately 30 percent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Its high warming power sets the pace for warming in the near term.
Recognizing the need for rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions, the European Union and the United States launched the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) at COP26. Participants joining the Pledge agree to take voluntary actions to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. Members also commit to moving towards improving national greenhouse gas inventory reporting under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. Since the launch, there has been significant mobilization of funds, new national commitments, action pathways at the sectoral level, and expansion in membership.
Tajikistan recently joined the GMP with support from activities implemented by the International Food and Policy Research Institute under USAID’s flagship Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative program.
Importance of a Comprehensive National Methane Assessment Study
A comprehensive national-level methane assessment study can provide important evidence for a country to understand its existing and future emission challenges and determine potential pathways to strategically move forward towards emissions reductions. Tajikistan joined the GMP in March 2024 following the dissemination of a national-level methane assessment study and other key stakeholder consultations.
The study identified five major contributors to methane emissions in Tajikistan: enteric fermentation mainly from livestock farming; burning of solid fuels, such as coal and biomass; inadequate wastewater treatment practices; improper solid waste management; and inadequate storage and handling of animal manure.
Emphasizing the strategic opportunity that joining the GMP could present for reducing emissions and improving environmental and health outcomes in Tajikistan, the study highlighted the potential benefits of making this commitment for Tajikistan that are also applicable to other countries:
Investment Opportunities
The pledge can create opportunities for investment in infrastructure and technologies for methane capture and utilization, waste management practices, and agricultural and livestock management techniques.
International Cooperation
The pledge can enable countries to foster partnerships and collaborate on sharing knowledge, innovative solutions, best practices, and technical expertise.
Savings and Revenue Generation
By implementing technologies that involve capturing and utilizing methane that would otherwise be wasted, countries can generate additional revenue streams and contribute to energy efficiency.
Monitoring System
Countries joining the pledge may be motivated to invest in robust monitoring, reporting, and verification systems to help with accurately tracking and measuring methane emissions, ensuring transparency, and demonstrating commitment to emissions reduction goals.
Need for Sector Level Studies for Informed Decision Making
An important step forward for Tajikistan would be to conduct sector-specific methane assessment studies on agriculture and livestock, energy, waste management, wastewater management, and other priority sectors. These studies will inform emissions reduction strategies for all priority sectors and result in data-driven decision making.
Integrating Targets into National Plans
Countries must have detailed national and local level policies, programs, and plans for methane emissions reduction. Additionally, they should include methane reduction targets as part of their Nationally Determined Contribution updates or other national level plans.
Nandita Srivastava
Nandita Srivastava is a Research Analyst in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. She currently provides research, managerial, coordination, reporting, and communications support on USAID-funded projects focused on strengthening the food policy research capacity of institutions in Asia, resilience building in Malawi, and climate change action in Asia. She has previously worked on multicounty projects focused on youth entrepreneurship, integrating agriculture innovation systems, and innovations in agriculture extension. As part of IFPRI’s Capacity Strengthening Program, she manages the institution-level capacity strengthening monitoring database and maintains the program webpage.
Suresh Babu
Suresh Babu is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit and is the Head of IFPRI’s program on Learning and Capacity Strengthening. His research includes human and organizational strengthening of food policy systems, policy processes, and agricultural extension in developing countries. Over the past 23 years at IFPRI, Dr. Babu has been involved in institutional and human capacity strengthening for higher education and research in many countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, including, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. He coordinated IFPRI’s Central Asia program South Asia Initiative and was also the program coordinator for the Agricultural Open Curriculum and Learning Initiative (AGROCURI), a consortium of 40 partners from CGIAR centers, universities in developing and developed countries, and international organizations.
