Methane emissions from human sources (including the energy, waste and agricultural sectors) drive about 30% of today’s global warming. Because methane is a short-lived but powerful greenhouse gas, with over 80 times more warming potential than CO2, emission reductions now can deliver immediate climate progress and buy us time to pursue broader decarbonization.

A report from the International Energy Agency, UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition finds that in the fossil fuel sector alone, where reductions are overwhelmingly cost-effective and readily available, targeted action could avert nearly 1 million premature deaths from ozone pollution, 90 million tonnes of crop losses and about 85 billion hours of lost labor from heat exposure by 2050—all while providing roughly USD 260 billion in direct economic benefits.