But people have already started to act.
Many governments, oil and gas CEOs,
landfill operators and farmers
are advancing measures to reduce methane.
But we need more,
because there is a lot of warming
that we can prevent
if we quickly deploy the full set
of affordable and available strategies.
We need standalone methane targets
as part of every company's business model,
and every country's nationally
determined contribution
as the Paris Agreement is strengthened.
Because if we succeed in a rapid,
full-scale effort to cut methane,
we have a chance to actually
experience the benefits fast,
in our lifetimes.
For example,
my colleagues and I found that we could
slow down the rate of warming
by as much as 30 percent
before mid-century.
This would help communities
and ecosystems adapt
to a changing climate
and hit the brakes on worsening
extreme events,
like wildfires in the Americas
and Australia,
and flooding in Europe and Asia.