Why Methane Emission Reduction Matters for ASEAN

Methane emission reduction has become increasingly important in global climate discussions, as it offers one of the most immediate and cost-effective opportunities to slow near-term warming, which is the global temperature rise expected over the next two decades. Compared to carbon dioxide, methane has a much stronger warming effect, which makes early reductions especially impactful.

Methane abatement refers to measures to reduce emissions across sectors, including leak detection and repair in oil and gas, improved waste management and agricultural practices such as alternate wetting and drying (AWD). In many cases, these involve relatively simple interventions such as fixing leaks, capturing gas or adjusting water management practices that can be implemented with existing technologies. This is particularly evident in the oil and gas sector, where leaked methane is a ‘wasted’ form of natural gas, a valuable resource and commodity. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimations, 25 megatonnes (Mt) of methane emissions in upstream operations could be avoided worldwide at no net-cost, as the market value of the captured gas can cover methane mitigation measures.

Recent analysis shows that over 84 per cent of methane emissions in ASEAN can be abated at net-negative cost. Country-specific assessments, including those in Malaysia, show that implementing methane mitigation strategies in the upstream oil and gas sector could generate estimated net revenues of US$5.2–7.0 million by 2030.

This strong economic case transforms methane mitigation from a regulatory burden into a strategic investment. Framing methane mitigation purely as a climate obligation, as is often done in many countries, overlooks broader economic, environmental and public health interests in ASEAN. For example, achieving the Global Methane Pledge’s targets globally could prevent 180,000 premature deaths and 19 million tonnes of crop losses annually by 2030, with economic benefits exceeding US$330 billion per year, gains in which ASEAN, with its dense populations and rice-dependent food systems, has an outsized stake.

Given this situation, a key question is why methane emissions in ASEAN are still expected to increase. According to UNEP’s Global Methane Status Report, methane emissions in the region will continue rising until 2030 unless stronger policies are introduced, which goes against the Global Methane Pledge’s goals.

The problem is not a lack of technology or economic incentives, but institutional, policy, and capacity gaps. While ASEAN Member States (AMS) recognise the importance of methane mitigation, many still struggle to translate commitments into effective regulations, reliable data systems and viable mitigation projects.

A key issue is the disconnect between high-level climate pledges and practical implementation. The UNFCCC’s most recent synthesis of national climate plans finds that, globally, around 30 per cent of global countries include methane in their overall greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, but only three per cent include a specific target for methane. ASEAN reflects this pattern where all AMS except Myanmar cover methane in their NDC inventories, yet none have set a quantitative, sector-specific methane reduction target. This indicates that, although ambition is acknowledged, a clear pathway to achieving it is not defined.

This absence of clear national targets is most visible in the oil and gas sector. At present, no AMS mandates the application of upstream best practices such as leak detection and repair (LDAR), which is a systematic surveying of pipelines and equipment to find and fix fugitive emissions, or methane intensity limits, which cap the proportion of methane that can be emitted per unit of gas produced.

Additionally, international best practices like the EU’s 2024 Methane Regulations, which from 2027 will require oil and gas imported into the EU to meet equivalent methane standards in countries of origin, have not been transposed to this region. For ASEAN’s major gas exporters, this is no longer a distant concern but an emerging market access condition. Although momentum is building, it is largely outside formal national regulation. For example, Petronas in Malaysia has set a 70 per cent methane reduction target by 2030 for operated assets and issued a Minimum Environmental Specification requiring methane measurement and reporting by all production-sharing contractors in Malaysia.

At the regional level, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) launched the Methane Management Roadmap for Oil and Gas in ASEAN in June 2025, alongside the ASEAN Energy Sector Methane Leadership Program 2.0. Further progress may require stronger national regulatory framework to support and institutionalise these corporate and voluntary commitments, which could also influence whether ASEAN gas is able to meet the EU’s equivalence test in 2027.

Another example can be found in the agricultural sector, where one of the most widely discussed and tested technological interventions to reduce methane emissions is AWD. In rice fields, methane emissions are a result of traditional cultivation practice of continuous flooding rather than an inevitable byproduct of crops. Despite proven efficacy in emission reductions and water conservation, AWD faces significant barriers to widespread adoption. A key barrier is that many smallholder farmers in ASEAN operate within communal, gravity-fed irrigation systems, leaving them little to no control over the timing of irrigation and drainage. Irrigation water is often heavily subsidised or provided for free, thereby removing any financial incentive for farmers to adopt water-conservation techniques such as AWD.

Regional action can also be affected by varying levels of participation in global initiatives. While seven of the eleven AMS have joined the Global Methane Pledge, methane is not consistently reflected in some regional energy and climate frameworks. The ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), for instance, sets targets for carbon dioxide and energy intensity but none for methane. This suggests that policy development in this area is evolving alongside industry initiatives.

This presents a clear opportunity for strong strategic partnership. One recent example is the ASEAN–Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation (AKCMM) in Lao PDR, launched in March 2026. The event brings together regional and national stakeholders to support methane mitigation through policy development, capacity building and investment mobilisation.

It forms part of the broader Partnership for ASEAN-ROK Methane Action (PARMA), under which the Republic of Korea (ROK) has pledged financial support through a US$20 million project for methane mitigation in ASEAN since 2024. The ROK has stepped in as a donor and a strategic partner, offering a practical blueprint for advancing methane action across ASEAN.

The project also brings together Korean and ASEAN experts to draft an ASEAN Methane Reduction Roadmap, currently in the finalisation stage and expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, to assist AMS in developing their respective National Methane Action Plans. It promotes institutional arrangements, including the establishment of a Methane Reduction Committee in each participating country, to strengthen governance frameworks.

Beyond policy and institutional development, the initiative supports capacity building in methane mitigation and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), including gap assessments of existing methane inventories and improvements in emissions measurement methodologies. It also supports the identification and development of methane reduction projects through feasibility studies and pilot implementation in sectors such as agriculture and waste, while promoting regional knowledge-sharing platforms and partnership across ASEAN. In parallel, the initiatives promotes the use of blended finance and private sector engagement to scale up mitigation efforts, which is important for overcoming financial barriers and enabling implementation at scale.

The ROK is itself relatively early in this journey. Having joined the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, it adopted its 2030 Methane Emissions Reduction Roadmap in 2023, with 13 sectoral policy tasks and a 30 per cent reduction target from 2020 levels by 2030. Total national greenhouse gas emissions fell about 2 per cent in 2024 to their lowest level in 14 years, with methane-relevant sectors such as waste (down 3.4 per cent) and agriculture (down 2.7 per cent) among the contributors.

The ROK brings practical experience that closely matches ASEAN’s main methane challenges. In agriculture, Korea promotes better rice-field water management, low-methane livestock feed and improved manure treatment, measures also relevant for ASEAN’s rice farming and growing livestock sector. In waste management, Korea has banned food waste from landfills since 2005, recycles about 95 per cent of household food waste and is expanding biogas production. These policies are especially relevant for ASEAN, where landfills are a major and growing source of methane emissions. In energy, Korea’s Fugitive Emissions Management Plan provides a useful model for ASEAN regulators.

Overall, reducing methane emissions is one of ASEAN’s best opportunities for quick and meaningful climate progress. The technologies already exist, many are profitable and the public health benefits are significant. However, stronger policy implementation and regional cooperation are needed. Partnerships such as ASEAN-ROK cooperation can help provide the financing, policy support, and technical expertise needed to turn plans into action.

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Editor’s Note:
ASEANFocus+ articles are timely critical insight pieces published by the ASEAN Studies Centre.