More than 100 countries pledged at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference on Tuesday to end and reverse deforestation by the year 2030. The pledge includes $19 billion of public and private funds.
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The countries that have signed off on the pledge – including Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – cover about 85% of the world's forests.
In addition, nearly 90 countries joined the US- and EU-led effort to slash emissions of potent greenhouse gas methane by 30% by 2030.
Methane has a higher heat-trapping potential than carbon dioxide and can break down in the atmosphere faster, meaning that cutting methane emissions can have a rapid impact on reining in global warming.
The Global Methane Pledge, which was first announced in September, now includes half of the top 30 methane emitters accounting for two-thirds of the global economy, according to a Biden administration official.
Among the new signatories that will be announced on Tuesday is Brazil – one of the world's five biggest emitters of methane. China, Russia, and India, also top-five methane emitters, have not signed on to the pledge.
While it is not part of the formal UN negotiations, the methane pledge could rank among the most significant outcomes from the COP26 conference, given its potential impact in holding off disastrous climate change.
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