The UN Secretary-General announced a global Call to Action on Methane during London Climate Action Week, targeting the oil and gas sector to achieve near-zero methane emissions. Methane is roughly 80 times more potent than CO2 over the short term, and existing technology can cut about 70% of emissions from leaks, venting, and flaring. The initiative pushes for a new global standard across the value chain. Separately, the UN launched an AI Environmental Transparency Initiative requiring major AI companies to disclose carbon, water, and land footprints from data centers. Guterres asked firms to power all data centers with renewable energy by 2030. A UN study noted AI data centers could consume more electricity than all but five countries by 2030, and enough water to meet basic needs for 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa for a year.
