World

Researchers warn methane emissions ‘rising faster than ever’

Published

1 year ago

September 10, 2024

Researchers warn methane emissions ‘rising faster than ever’

The largest increases in emissions of the greenhouse gas come from China and Southeast Asia.

Concentrations of methane are rising at an unprecedented pace, jeopardising global climate goals, according to researchers.

The potent greenhouse gas, the second-largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, has increased by 20 percent over the past two decades despite global efforts to curb it, according to a study published by the Global Carbon Project.

In the past five years, methane concentrations have surged faster than “in any period since record-keeping began”, the study said. Increases are being primarily driven by coal mining, oil and gas production and use, cattle and sheep ranching, and decomposing food and organic waste.

In 2020, 41.8 million tonnes of methane entered the atmosphere, double the average amount added yearly in the 2010s, and over six times the average in the previous decade.

“Anthropogenic emissions have continued to increase in almost every other country in the world, with the exception of Europe and Australia, which show a slow declining trend,” Global Carbon Project’s executive director, Pep Canadell, told the AFP news agency.

The largest increases have come from China and Southeast Asia and are primarily linked to coal extraction, oil and gas production and landfills, the researchers found.

Rising methane pollution undermines efforts to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6F), the study warns.

Rice, Asia’s principal staple, causes 10 percent of global methane emissions [Nhac Hguyen/AFP]

Global pledges ‘a mirage’?

The recent spike in emissions of the gas comes despite the “Global Methane Pledge“, which saw 150 countries commit to work towards cutting 2020 global emissions levels by 30 percent by 2030.

The goals of the pledge, notably not signed by China, Russia or India, “seem as distant as a desert oasis”, said Rob Jackson from Stanford University, the lead author of the study, which appeared in Environmental Research Letters. “We all hope they aren’t a mirage.”

Despite failing to sign the 2021 pledge, China plans to host a joint summit with the United States on greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide later this year at the United Nations climate change conference, raising hopes of broader climate action.

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World

Vatican says it will not participate in Trump's 'Board of Peace'

Published

36 minutes ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Vatican says it will not participate in Trump's 'Board of Peace'

The Vatican will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” initiative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official, said on Tuesday while adding that efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations.

World

Vatican declines to join Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ calls for UN leadership

Published

2 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Vatican declines to join Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ calls for UN leadership

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The Vatican will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, its top diplomatic official said Tuesday, signaling reluctance from the Holy See to take part in the post-war initiative.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” the Vatican’s official news outlet reported.

The Board of Peace, which was chartered in January and includes nearly 20 countries, is tasked with managing recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war.

While responding to questions about Italy declining to join the board, Parolin said “there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed,” adding that “there are some critical points that would need to find explanations.”

TRUMP SNUBS CANADA BY WITHDRAWING COUNTRY’S INVITE TO JOIN ‘MOST PRESTIGIOUS BOARD OF LEADERS EVER’

The Vatican announced it will not participate in President Trump’s Gaza recovery board. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide a response,” he said. “However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved.”

Parolin continued, “One concern is that, at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope, received an invitation to join the peace board in January.

TRUMP ENVOY WARNS HAMAS OF ‘SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES’ AS ADMIN LAUNCHES PHASE TWO OF GAZA PLAN

The Vatican declined to join a U.S.-backed board tasked with overseeing post-war efforts in Gaza. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia.

Israel formally joined the board last week ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House.

Several other countries were also invited by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.

TRUMP MEETS NETANYAHU, SAYS HE WANTS IRAN DEAL BUT REMINDS TEHRAN OF ‘MIDNIGHT HAMMER’ OPERATION

President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace will move forward without Vatican participation. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.

Trump announced Sunday that board members have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.

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The president said the funding would be formally pledged during a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

World

Bulgaria ⁠to hold snap parliamentary election on April 19 after protests

Published

3 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Bulgaria ⁠to hold snap parliamentary election on April 19 after protests

Eighth vote in just five years follows government resignation after weeks of protests over budget, alleged corruption.

Published On 18 Feb 2026

Bulgaria ⁠will hold a snap parliamentary election on April 19, President Iliana Iotova has said.

The announcement on Wednesday comes after the resignation of the previous government in December following weeks of anticorruption protests.

Last week, Iotova tapped Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of ⁠the Bulgarian National Bank, to head a caretaker government tasked with preparing the way for the vote.

“I will make a decree to have elections on the 19th of April,” Iotova told ⁠a news conference on Wednesday, after meeting Gyurov, ⁠who presented the members ⁠of his caretaker government.

Bulgaria, which joined the eurozone on January 1, has faced prolonged political ‌instability, with parties unable to form stable ruling coalitions in a fragmented ‌parliament.

The upcoming parliamentary election will be ‌the eighth in just five years in the country.

The conservative GERB party came first in the most recent election in 2024, forming a coalition government.

People, however, began taking to the streets in late November over the 2026 draft budget, with protesters branded it as an attempt to mask rampant corruption.

Last month, Bulgaria’s longtime President Rumen Radev, a vocal government critic who supported the protests, announced his resignation amid speculation that he was looking to take part in the elections.

In an address to the nation, Radev, 62, said at the time he was eager to participate in the “battle for the future” of the European Union and NATO member.

He was replaced by his deputy, Iotova. New presidential elections are expected later this year.