(Bloomberg) -- Brazil will sign the global methane pledge, its foreign affairs ministry said in a tweet, making it the second-largest emitter after the U.S. to join the collective commitment to slash release of the gas 30% by 2030.
The move represents a change in Brazil's stance, which historically has favored measures to address all gases instead of specific ones. The nation has long argued that fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. Its methane emissions come from agriculture, mainly cattle.
The pledge, signed by about 80 nations so far, aims to curtail one of the most potent greenhouse gases. If fulfilled, the pact is projected to reduce warming 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) by mid-century.
The methane pledge, developed by the European Union and U.S., would represent the first global political commitment to pare methane, amid increasingly urgent warnings that reductions of the greenhouse gas are essential to reduce warming and avoid feedback loops that lock in climate changes. Countries signing the pledge are committing to work together toward a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030 and to implement related domestic actions in support of the effort.
China and Russia -- the two largest methane emitters -- had not signed the pledge as of Monday evening.
Read more: Why the Low-Key Methane Pledge Is a Big Deal for the Climate
Methane has increasingly come under the spotlight due to its potency as a greenhouse gas, but also because it degrades in the atmosphere in around two decades -- meaning reductions now can have a big impact restraining temperature rise in the short term. Most methane leaks from the oil industry also can be contained with existing technology.
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