Methane regulation across Southeast Asia must accelerate to meet climate goals and align with urgent calls at the UN Climate Conference (COP) to sharply slash emissions. On the sidelines of COP31, the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) released a new briefer examining the current policy landscape for methane reduction and mitigation across the region.
As the second-largest contributor to human-caused global warming after carbon dioxide, methane is responsible for approximately 30% of the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution. Methane is 84 to 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and the fossil fuel sector accounts for nearly one-third of all human-driven methane emissions today.
Fossil gas is primarily methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. Methane emissions occur throughout the gas supply chain, from extraction and processing to transportation, storage and distribution. Leaks and intentional releases can erode any purported climate advantage over other fossil fuels, while the burning of gas releases carbon dioxide and contributes to climate change and air pollution.
“Discussions on methane at COP31 cannot be separated from fossil gas and transition away from fossil fuels. There can be no accelerated climate action if the urgent need to slash methane emissions is ignored. Methane mitigation and reduction requires a two-pronged approach: curbing emissions from existing operations as an immediate intervention, and stopping the expansion and ultimately phasing out of fossil fuel production and infrastructure as the structural solution,” said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED).
The briefer highlights that the energy sector accounts for 72% of global technical methane mitigation potential by 2030, much of which can be achieved immediately using existing, low-cost technologies. The need to integrate methane pollution into broader climate, environmental, and public health discussions to build awareness and strengthen the technical capacity of regulators, institutions, and local communities.
Participation in the Global Methane Pledge varies across Southeast Asia. Seven countries in the region namely, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam have officially signed on to the pledge. Conversely, four countries namely, Brunei, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand have yet to join.
“Ultimately, voluntary pledges are not enough. Southeast Asian governments must enact enforceable regulations that make methane mitigation a binding obligation for both government and corporate actors. Methane regulation is not an alternative to fossil fuel phaseout, but an immediate intervention that complements it,” Arances added.
Despite these differing levels of commitment, 10 out of 11 countries in Southeast Asia explicitly mention methane in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Notably, Cambodia and Vietnam lead the region as the only two countries to have established dedicated national methane action plans with specific country-level reduction targets.