UN Secretary-General asks UNEP to develop a global standard for near-zero methane emissions from oil and gas

11 November 2026

Addressing world leaders at the climate conference in Antalya, the United Nations Secretary-General asked the UN Environment Programme to draw up one worldwide rule book under which oil and gas operations would run at close to zero methane release. Methane is the second largest contributor to warming after carbon dioxide, and the oil and gas industry releases it through leaks, venting and the burning off of unwanted gas at wells. A single global standard would set out how companies must measure, report and verify what they release, which is the step that makes a cut in emissions checkable rather than merely promised. The Secretary-General told the leaders that the planet is heading towards more than 2.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century, and pressed for a compact on climate justice between the countries that caused the problem and those living with it. The UN Environment Programme has its headquarters at Nairobi.