Cop28: China has ‘done a lot’ on methane, climate envoy says, as country faces criticism over plan to tackle emissions

Speaking on sidelines of UN climate change summit in Dubai, Xie Zhenhua defends Beijing’s efforts to address the greenhouse gas

Critics say Chinese methane plan falls short because it does not mention overall targets or deadlines for pollution cuts

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China’s special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua (centre), shown here at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai on Saturday, says his country does not treat methane as waste but sees it as a resource. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:30pm, 5 Dec 2023

Amid criticism over its new plan to control emissions of methane, China’s special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said the country had taken steps to address the greenhouse gas, including reusing it in the coal and oil sectors.

Speaking at the China pavilion at the United Nations climate change summit in Dubai on Monday, Xie said China had “already done a lot” to control methane emissions, state-backed China News Service reported.

China issued its first ever methane plan last month, but critics have complained that the long-delayed document falls short because it does not mention the overall target or deadlines for pollution cuts.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that can trap much more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. China is by far the world’s biggest methane emitter, accounting for more than 14 per cent of the global total.

Xie acknowledged that while China lacked an overall methane plan before last month, that “doesn’t mean no work has been done”, he said in a meeting on methane abatement in the oil and gas industry held on the sidelines of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (Cop28).

China did not treat methane as waste but saw it as a resource and had used it for industries including coal, oil, gas, urban waste and agriculture, Xie said, adding that the country planned to do more to increase its capacity in methane control and reduction.

China’s November methane plan emphasises improving monitoring and supervision of methane emissions through a framework for local governments, enterprises and financial institutions.