Cop 27: Chile to trim methane emissions by 2025

Chile is focusing on trimming rising methane emissions and expanding land protections in its updated national determined contribution (NDC), or emissions pledge, at the COP 27 UN climate summit in Egypt today, the environment ministry said.

The new NDC vows to revert the growing trend of methane gas emissions by 2025 and to expand by at least 1mn hectares of land and aquatic ecosystems under protection by 2030.

The strengthened NDC contains Chile's updated climate policies, including the obligations imposed by the climate change law, which came into force in June, and the long-term climate strategy that extends to 2050.

Under the Paris Agreement, parties are not required to update their NDCs until 2025, but the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at Cop 26 last year requested countries to revise and increase their 2030 targets.

Chile was also the second country worldwide to present its fifth biannual update report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the environment ministry said.

The country's GHG emissions fell by 4pc in 2020 to 105,552kt CO2 equivalent (CO2e), excluding carbon offsets, compared to 2018. When the absorption of gases by forests is considered, 2020 GHG emissions totalled 55,825kt CO2e.

The global COVID-19 pandemic — which reduced land and air transport emissions due to lockdowns — and an increase in power generation from renewables were behind the improvement, it said.

Of total emissions, 75pc were produced by the energy sector, followed by agriculture (11pc), waste (7pc) and industrial processes and product use (7pc). Carbon dioxide represents 76pc of emissions, followed by methane gas with 14pc and nitrous oxides with 6pc.

The country also presented its first adaption report, detailing the main threats, vulnerabilities and risks it faces with regard to climate change and adaption priorities.

By Emily Russell