Valerie Volcovici, Kate Abnett, and Ilze filks

GLASGOW (Reuters). Nearly 90 nations have signed a U.S./EU-led effort, to cut methane greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. This is a pact aimed to address one of the leading causes of global climate change.

On Tuesday, the partnership will officially be launched.

The main greenhouse gas is methane, after carbon dioxide. Methane has a greater heat-trapping capacity than CO2 and breaks down faster in the atmosphere. This means that methane can be cut quickly to reduce global warming.

Officials from the Biden administration said that the Global Methane Pledge was announced for the first time in September. It now encompasses half of the world’s top methane emitters and accounts for more than two-thirds the world economy.

Brazil is one of the five most prolific emitters of methane in the world and will be among those who sign on Tuesday.

China, Russia, India and India, all top-five emitters of methane, haven’t signed the pledge. Reuters reported previously that these nations were on a list of countries identified as potential targets to the pledge.

It was initially announced by the United States in September. Only a small number of signatories were involved. Since then, the United States has worked with the European Union to convince the biggest methane emitters around the globe to become part of the Partnership.

There were roughly 60 countries signed up only last week, after a final diplomatic push from the United States and EU ahead of the COP26 summit https://www.reuters.com/business/cop.

Despite it not part the U.N formal negotiations, methane could rank as one of the most notable outcomes from the COP26 Conference, due to its potential impact on preventing climate catastrophe.

In May, a U.N. report stated that drastic reductions in methane emission could prevent nearly 0.3 degrees Celsius global warming in the next decade. However, failure to deal with methane will make impossible the Paris Agreement’s target to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 C and prevent the most severe impacts of climate change.

All sectors would benefit from the 30% reduction in methane emissions if all signatories agree to it. The main sources of methane are leaky oil infrastructure, older coal mines, agricultural and landfill sites.

This pledge, if fulfilled, will likely have the largest impact on the energy industry, as analysts believe fixing leaky pipelines is the best way to cut methane emissions.

The United States is world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, with the EU being the top importer.

United States to publish oil and natural gas methane regulations next week. Canada and the EU plan to introduce methane legislation that addresses energy sector issues later in the year.