Climate Facts: Methane accounts for 25% of global warming

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can make it difficult to digest. TheCable’s climate quick facts will help to demystify these climate concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• Twenty-five percent of the warming that the world is facing comes from methane. The oil and gas sector is one of the largest sources of anthropogenic methane, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Low-cost emissions reductions across the sector could provide up to 15 percent of the emissions cuts required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, says UNEP.
• According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), less than half of all countries in the world have reported the existence of multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS), with coverage particularly low in Africa, least developed countries, and small island developing states.
• Early warning systems save lives, reduce losses and damages, contribute to disaster risk reduction, and support climate change adaptation, says WMO. 
• The United Nations says to keep warming below 1.5°C, fossil fuel production must decline by roughly six percent yearly between 2020 and 2030.