What we committed
At COP28, the World Bank launched its Methane Reduction Blueprint to accelerate action towards ‘triple wins’ of methane abatement: limiting warming, building resilience, and empowering livelihoods. We announced an initial commitment to launch 15 national programs that aim to slash up to 10 million tons of methane during the lifespan of projects and benefit 150 million people.
What we delivered
We are supporting more than 40 projects across these countries to scale up methane emission reduction. These projects are at various stages – most of them have financing already approved and the remaining are on track for approval by end of the fiscal year. The first set of data on actual methane emissions reduced will be delivered from July 2025.
Impact
Building on successful projects, we are helping countries accelerate policy action and investments.
- Livestock: We are supporting 12 countries including China, India, and Brazil, which together account for 66% of global cattle population, to improve the productivity of meat and dairy while reducing emissions. This includes incentivizing farmers to use better animal breeds and feed, improving manure disposal, and providing training on best practices for raising livestock.
- Rice: We are assisting six countries including China, India, Viet Nam, and Bangladesh, which produce 65% of the world’s rice, to repurpose policies and invest in systems that reduce emissions and save water while improving crop yield. This includes developing better irrigation systems for rice paddies, promoting the use of seeds that use less water while improving yields, and providing training to farmers for dry seeding techniques.
- Waste and sanitation: We are supporting nine countries, including densely populated cities in Egypt, Pakistan, and Türkiye to improve waste management systems. We are doing this by improving the collection and sorting of organic waste; upgrading landfills with anaerobic digestors; and setting up waste treatment plants.
- Oil and gas: We are engaging with over 12 countries (including Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia) that cover about a quarter of global oil and gas sector-related methane emissions. In addition to providing catalytic grant funding and advisory services, we are helping them to detect and repair leaks, establish accurate measurement systems, and build capacity to identify and implement projects that will reduce emissions.
Next steps
We will broaden our efforts by expanding methane reduction programs to additional sectors within the 15 initial countries, while also reaching into new countries. We will also help countries monetize their methane reductions by turning them into carbon credits, layering additional financial incentives for countries, local governments and farmers. Finally, innovation will continue as we continue to partner with global experts to develop and scale new methane abatement strategies.