Discussions at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, increasingly emphasize the urgency of mitigation actions to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C. While most efforts and attention focus on carbon dioxide (CO₂), other greenhouse gases such as methane, whose warming potential is 29.8 times greater than CO₂ over 100 years and 82.5 times greater over 20 years, offer faster and more effective climate mitigation benefits.

In Latin America, methane mitigation presents low-cost, high-impact opportunities across the region’s most emission-intensive sectors: agriculture (mainly livestock enteric digestion), waste (mainly solid waste in landfills), and energy (mainly fossil fuel extraction and combustion). The diversity of emission sources calls for the adoption and adaptation of best available practices worldwide, alongside regionally tailored, results-based approaches, especially in three key areas: 1) implementation of mitigation measures and technologies, 2) creation of market incentives for adoption, and 3) improvement of monitoring, reporting, and verification systems.

The European Union, for example, has taken a leadership role in methane mitigation through ambitious policies and regulations across high-emitting sectors. The EU Methane Regulation builds on frameworks such as the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0), supported by strong enforcement mechanisms and continuous monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) improvements. COP30 offers a valuable opportunity for Latin American countries and the EU to strengthen cooperation, exchange lessons and share best practices.

Building on this momentum, an SEI Latin America-led project, funded by the EU, examined methane mitigation challenges across six Latin American countries – Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Costa Rica – and explored how international policy convergence with the EU can help address them. Despite national differences, three ways forward emerged across the agriculture, waste and energy sectors:

1. Implementation challenge: There is a need for subnational and ministerial mechanisms to operationalize mitigation actions across different levels of governance.Programs for leak detection and repair and gas capture for local energy production can help meet methane-specific targets included in international commitments such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). For instance, the EU Methane Regulation (2024/1787) mandates regular leak detection every 15 days and repair within 5 to 30 days, and restricts routine gas venting and flaring.
2. Incentives challenge: Financial and market incentives are essential to accelerate the adoption of best practices. Meeting international market requirements is becoming increasingly important for financial sustainability of mitigation initiatives.In the energy sector, the EU Methane Regulation requires oil and gas importers to meet OGMP 2.0 standards, which is key for Latin American oil and gas exporters. In the waste sector, initiatives such as source separation, biodigestion, composting, circular economy models, and waste-to-energy projects generate local jobs and economic opportunities. In agriculture, government-led measures like converting animal waste into valuable products such as fertilizer and biogas, sustainability labelling, and public–private alliances can scale up sustainable practices and accelerate methane reductions.
3. Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) Challenge: Robust and transparent MRV systems for methane detection and reporting remain limited in many countries, hindering accountability and progress tracking. Regional cooperation initiatives, such as the newly created Latin American and Caribbean Observatory for Methane Emissions, can play a central role in building MRV capacities. Collaboration with the EU-led International Methane Emissions Observatory can provide technical support and help tailor global monitoring approaches to Latin American realities. Likewise, ongoing partnerships between Latin American governments, Carbon Mapper, and NASA can be expanded to promote transparency, knowledge-sharing, and accountability.

COP30 represents a timely opportunity to strengthen international cooperation on methane mitigation in Latin America: a region home to the Amazon forest, vital biodiversity, Indigenous and local communities, and a critical biome for regulating the planet’s climate. EU–Latin America cooperation offers significant potential for finance and technology transfer, grounded in mutual learning and shared best practices. Advancing methane mitigation in the region not only contributes to global climate goals but also reinforces Latin America’s leadership in climate action and its pursuit of just and equitable sustainable development.