China's implementation of the world's most comprehensive strategy to control methane emissions has been lauded by Global Methane Hub CEO Marcelo Mena, who described the nation's continuing efforts as "deep" and "real".

A recent report of the International Energy Agency proved that China's efforts have borne fruit. Despite rising energy demand and fossil fuel output, methane emissions in the country have risen at a slower pace and even decreased slightly between 2024 and 2025.

In a recent exclusive interview with China Daily, Mena, who is also a former environment minister of Chile, said that while the United States has abandoned the methane agenda, China has remained committed to methane emission control in cooperation with international partners such as the European Union and the United Kingdom.

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The US officially withdrew from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on tackling climate change in January.

Mena highlighted a range of sectors where China has taken action to strengthen the control of methane emissions, including the oil and gas sector, coal mining, waste disposal, rice farming and animal husbandry.

Mena said that no other country's methane action plan is as comprehensive as that of China.

"It is deep, it is real, and it is something that continues to be implemented," he said. "I come here every year, and every year I am surprised with the progress."

In late 2023, China introduced an action plan to cut methane emissions. The document set out a target of 6 billion cubic meters of coal mine gas use annually by 2025, and prioritized methane recovery in the oil and gas sector by introducing measures such as requirements for leak detection and repair, and limits on flaring. The action plan also emphasized the importance of methane monitoring, reporting and verification systems.

Methane can be used as a fuel for heating and power generation, as well as in industrial processes.

Stringent standards

In late 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment introduced more stringent standards for coal mine methane emissions, requiring the utilization of gas with methane concentrations of at least 8 percent and extraction volumes above 10 cubic meters per minute. Previously, gas with a 30 percent methane concentration needed to be utilized.

In 2021, several Chinese oil and gas companies set up a methane control alliance to promote the sharing of technology and expertise in order to reduce emissions.

Mena emphasized the importance of methane emission control, describing it as the "emergency brake" for addressing climate change, as it is the fastest way to reduce temperature.

Methane, the second most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after reaching the atmosphere.

Mena also praised the concrete actions taken by China to fulfill its commitments.

"Most countries promise big, and then don't think about things until the next moment to promise, right? Implementation is forgotten in many ways," he said.

What other countries could learn from China is that the promises a country makes are meant to be kept, he said.

He noted that China's implementation of its methane control pledge could show other countries that reducing this potent greenhouse gas is in their own interest, particularly for energy security and food security.

According to the Global Methane Tracker 2026, unveiled in May by the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization based in Paris, France, China has seen tangible results from its methane emission control efforts.

Despite continued growth in coal production, coal mine methane emissions in China have grown more slowly since 2016, largely due to a shift toward lower-emitting mines in northern provinces and greater use of captured methane.

Shifts in drivers

Satellite observations corroborate this structural change, pointing to similar shifts in the drivers of China's evolving methane emissions profile, it said.

Mena said he looked forward to seeing China exert greater influence on global methane reduction efforts as a major oil and gas importer.

"It could have a very positive influence on reducing emissions in places like Central Asia, where the emissions are highest," he noted.

Methane loss in Turkmenistan's oil and gas operations, for example, is estimated at between 4.6 percent and over 10 percent of total production. "You could estimate that the Central Asian region, with the current prices, loses around $2.4 billion a year in income," he said.

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While methane emissions from oil and gas operations in Central Asia have a negative impact on the climate, capturing and utilizing the potent greenhouse gas could contribute to the development of these countries.

According to Mena, China could influence these countries through joint ventures.

Co-investing in emission reductions in Central Asian countries could be very positive, he added. That would send a signal to those countries that methane emissions linked to China's imported products need to be addressed, and would accelerate changes.

"I'm very sure that there will be good progress there, because there are good reasons to do this — because it's about energy security, it's about reducing wasteful practices," he said.

Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn