Vietnam tackles livestock methane emissions

Vietnam has joined an international partnership aiming to trap and use methane, a potent climate gas, to produce carbon-neutral energy.


The US-run Methane to Markets Partnership facilitates international cooperation on technologies to trap methane from animal waste, coal mines, landfills and oil and gas exploration, to be used as a fuel source.

This week Vietnam, where agriculture is the main source of methane, became the 20th member to join the partnership. Methane to Markets has been active since 2004 and includes some of the world’s biggest developing economies, such as Brazil and India, as well as the UK and other Western countries.

“Joining the Partnership will be an opportunity for Viet Nam to learn and share experiences on reducing methane gas from the livestock sector,” said Nguyen Van Tai, deputy general director of Vietnam’s department for the environment.

With the addition of Vietnam the public-private partnership now represents 60% of the world’s total emissions. The US Environment Protection Agency, which runs the programme, says it has the potential to deliver annual methane emission reductions of up to 50m metric tons of carbon equivalent annually.

“Viet Nam is the 20th country to join Methane to Markets. This is an important milestone in our efforts to promote energy security and greenhouse-gas reductions around the globe,” said Bill Wehrum, chair of the Methane to Markets steering committee.

“With its rapidly expanding economy, Viet Nam will make valuable contributions to clean energy development in the region.”

For more information on Methane to Markets, see www.methanetomarkets.org.

Goska Romanowicz

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