EBRD to help Kazakhstan curb methane emissions

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced on September 15 it would assist Kazakhstan in drawing up a plan for reducing its methane emissions.

Under a memorandum of understanding that the two sides signed, the EBRD will help Kazakhstan in joining the Global Methane Pledge, whose signatories have committed to cutting methane emissions by 30% by the end of the decade.

The two sides will work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sectors including gas and energy transport, agribusiness, municipal waste and wastewater services. They will also cooperate in developing a national methane emissions inventory and reduction programme.

"We are at the beginning of the road which will hopefully bring Kazakhstan closer to alignment with the Paris Agreement and its 2060 carbon neutrality target," EBRD vice president Alain Pilloux said in a statement. "This will have long lasting economic and environmental benefits for this country and will send a strong signal to international investors about its commitment to the green agenda.”

Kazakhstan is the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Central Asia.