New York, September 22: The Government of Catalonia has become the latest signatory to the Subnational Methane Action Coalition (SMAC), announced today at Climate Week NYC. The government will allocate an additional €25 million over the next four years to support new methane projects and accelerate the roll out of biogas plants. Methane pollution currently accounts for 14% of Catalonia's total greenhouse gas emissions.
The coalition brings together state and regional governments with the tools, expertise and peer network to cut methane emissions. The current SMAC membership represents a population of nearly 400 million and over 11 trillion US GDP in total.
Methane is responsible for a third of the rise in global temperatures since pre-industrial levels decreasing it is the fastest way to slow global warming in the short term.
Cristina Massot, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, said: “It's an honour to join the Subnational Methane Action Coalition. For us, this signatory is not the beginning, but a means of accelerating the work already underway. Methane accounts for 14% of our greenhouse gas emissions in Catalonia, concentrated in agriculture and waste. We want to learn from other subnational leaders and together, lead through collaborative action and achieve meaningful methane reductions by 2030.”
Jebi Rahman, Head of Global Implementation at Climate Group, said: "Catalonia leads as a shining example of subnational governments taking on climate change. They know what it takes to cut methane at source, from farming to waste management, and that hands-on experience will be of huge support for our SMAC network. Every government that joins brings practical solutions the rest of the coalition can put to use."
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Supporting media can be found here.
For more press information, please contact Tom Nice at Climate Group on Tnice@climategroup.org.
Note to editors
Founded in 2023 by the California State Government at the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai, the Subnational Methane Action Coalition is a group of states, regions and provinces leading on tackling methane emissions. The fastest way to curb rising global temperatures in the short-term, the reduction of this potent greenhouse gas falls largely to state and provincial governments, as they often serve as the primary regulators of its three main sources: agriculture, energy and waste. Free to join, the coalition enables its members around the world to share technical data, policy resources and best practices. It also pairs them with technical and policy experts at the University of California, Berkeley and their networks.