Turkey launched a declaration at the UN Cop 31 climate summit in Antalya calling on governments to accelerate the development of biogas and biomethane to expand sustainable fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Turkey is presiding over the summit this year in collaboration with Australia. The declaration, which was presented with the support from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Biogas Association (EBA) is open for endorsement.
It urges governments and industry to stimulate demand for biogases, improve access to finance, integrate biomethane into gas and transport markets and strengthen certification systems. Members of the United Biogas Alliance, including the biogas associations of Brazil, Canada, the US and Denmark, have already backed the declaration.
The declaration comes a year after countries at Cop 30 backed the "Belem 4x" pledge to quadruple global sustainable fuel use by 2035 from 2024 levels.
IEA analysis underpinning that pledge puts liquid and gaseous biofuels at around two-thirds of sustainable fuel demand by 2030, highlighting a major role for biogas and biomethane in the energy transition.
Sustainable global biogas and biomethane production potential could reach almost 1,400bn m³/yr by 2050, equivalent to around a quarter of current global natural gas demand, according to Turkey's declaration.
Around 80pc of that potential lies in emerging and developing economies, according to the IEA. The energy watchdog calculated that global biogas and biomethane production was just under 50bn m³/yr in 2023. Europe is the biggest producer of biogases, followed by China, the US and India.
Wider deployment of biogas and biomethane can support climate goals, energy security and rural development by producing renewable gas, electricity and heat, according to the declaration. It could also help improve waste management and providing by-products such as organic fertiliser and biogenic CO2, it said.
The declaration highlights biomethane's potential role in transport markets, calling for stronger integration into existing gas and transport infrastructure and the development of common methodologies and certification frameworks.
"The launch of the Biogas Declaration at Cop 31 sends an important signal: a proven and readily available solution with significant global potential needs to be more firmly integrated into international climate and energy action," EBA chief executive Harmen Dekker said.
Signatories plan to review progress ahead of Cop 32.
