A leaders’ summit at COP31 in Türkiye has secured more than US$480 million in new philanthropic commitments to tackle methane and other potent greenhouse gases, according to UN Climate Change.
The November 12 meeting in Antalya also brought an additional US$25 million for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator.
China, the United Kingdom and Brazil co-hosted the summit, with support from the COP30 and COP31 presidencies. Leaders, ministers, international organisations and philanthropic partners discussed measures to reduce warming in the near term.
The announced funding represents commitments, rather than confirmation that the money has already been disbursed.
Addressing the meeting, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell urged governments to translate methane measures in national climate plans into practical action.
He identified oil and gas, agriculture and waste as sectors where solutions can deliver benefits, and called for stronger public and private financing alongside investment in technical expertise and institutions.
Stiell said reducing methane could help limit near-term temperature increases, but stressed that it must be accompanied by rapid reductions in carbon dioxide.
He also pointed to landfill methane as an early focus of the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism, which can reward projects that capture the gas and put it to use.
The summit took place during the COP31 climate conference, which runs from November 9 to 20. The funding announcements form part of efforts to turn national climate commitments into projects and measurable emissions reductions.
