The urgency to address methane, the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2), is intensifying as global temperatures continue rising and are on track to overshoot the global goal of staying well below 2°C by mid-century. Methane received global attention with world leaders endorsing the Global Methane Pledge in 2021 to reduce emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. 2026 will mark five years since the Pledge and 250 years since Italian physicist and inventor of the battery, Alessandro Volta, discovered and isolated methane. A conference Methane Action for People & Planet: From Discovery to Solutions being organized with the European Commission’s Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy in late March 2026, to mark this anniversary. The Topic’s overall theme is based on the following lead article published in Frontiers in Science: "The methane imperative" .

This Research Topic will address the emerging science and policy surrounding reigning in methane. With major anthropogenic emissions sources spanning agriculture, oil and gas, coal, and landfill waste, and growing indirect warming-induced emissions from wetlands, understanding the opportunities and challenges to mitigating methane requires research that crosses disciplines from chemistry to finance. For example, while most emissions from the oil and gas sector have known low-cost technology solutions, reductions are not happening at the expected speed and scale due to a range of non-technical barriers. One challenge lies in aligning political, financial, and climate realities to move from voluntary commitments to effective regulation and enforcement mechanisms, with frameworks like the EU Methane Regulation and upcoming climate summits such as COP30 providing platforms to build on recent momentum.

To gather further insights into the complex interplay between methane emissions and policy, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

-The efficacy of current methane regulations in the oil and gas industry

-Innovations in metric systems and accounting methods for methane

-Case studies of policy transitions from voluntary to enforced commitments

-Advanced climate modeling related to methane emissions and policy impact assessment

-The implications of warming-induced methane emissions regarding overshoot and tipping points

The Topic aims to contribute to a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by methane emissions and their global impact. Together with the conference, this Topic seeks to connect science and policy to action to address the methane imperative.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Emerging Science and Policy Issues for Addressing the Methane Imperative