Making It More About Methane as the World Goes to COP26

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Nothing comes quickly in climate diplomacy, and it’s an open question if good things come to those who wait. It took more than two decades from the first-ever global climate summit—or Conference of the Parties, in UN-speak—before the entire world opted into the long project to stop warming. That breakthrough meeting, COP21, is better known by another name: The Paris Agreement.

Now the world heads into COP26 looking for the next breakthrough—and waiting for the rise in planet-warming emissions to change direction. Will Glasgow, like Paris, become a synecdoche for progress? The path forward, and the obstacles, are clear enough. The outcome will take time.

But let’s say we’re impatient. Because we need to be. Climate scientists are speeding up to almost match the blistering pace of extreme weather. Google is pushing at the edge of possibility for powering an immense business without a drop of fossil fuel. What can diplomats and leaders do to deliver faster results?

Let’s start with methane. This supercharged greenhouse gas is found in the atmosphere at 0.5% the volume of carbon dioxide but accounts for about 25% of the temperature rise. We know where it comes from. We know who’s profiting from letting it leak. And, above all, we know cutting methane emissions in half this decade avoids as much as 0.3C of warming by 2050.

That’s the breathing room needed for high-stakes talks in Glasgow and all the COPs that follow. It’s just about the fastest, cheapest fix on the table, with a payoff in cooler conditions in less than a generation. Fast enough for us. —Aaron Rutkoff

Welcome to the fifth issue of Bloomberg Green’s magazine.

Stories from the latest issue will continue rolling out until the end of October, just before the start of the global climate talks, and everything we’ve published will be available on this collection page. Plus, you can follow all of our reporting on COP26 right here. The only magazine focused on climate and the energy transition is sent to our all-access subscribers, so sign up today to receive a print edition along with full digital access to Bloomberg Green. Here are some of the highlights so far…

• Google is searching for 24/7 clean energy. Read this story to understand just why carbon-free operations might just be the company’s biggest moonshot yet. Plus, an exclusive interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

• Spewing methane, making money. An investigation into the undisclosed emissions of the little-known company that owns more gas well than any other in the U.S. And don’t miss the short documentary chronicling how we got this story.

• An American industrial icon is trying to bring green things to life. After 129 years of doing business with greenhouse gas, can GE transition to the low-carbon future— and bring along its polluting customers?

• We read 4,000 pages of UN climate science for you. You’re welcome.

• What’s driving all the extreme weather? It’s climate change, of course, but it’s also the jet stream.

• Big Beef’s methane math is unbelievable. A new campaign asserts, incorrectly, that cows don’t contribute much to global warming.

• The quiet case for switching to electric tractors. Old MacDonald gets an EV.

• Clean up time for China’s destructive dams. The country could close 40,000 hydropower plants.

• Getting rid of an oil refinery is harder than you think. And the U.S. has dozens headed for closure.

• Need to escape deadly weather very quickly? A Navy SEAL can come in handy.

• Arizona is growing. But its water supply is not.

• This bureaucrat is giving out $44 billion. Cleantech startups can apply.

• How to get the oil out of your makeup kit. Try vegetables.

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