Inside the fight against methane gas amid milestone pledges at COP28

A coalition of 70 major oil and gas companies said at COP28 on Saturday that they would work to cut methane emissions by 80 to 90% by the end of the decade, marking a potential breakthrough in the fight against climate change. 

The Biden administration, represented at COP28 by Vice President Kamala Harris, also announced new rules to limit methane gas emissions in the U.S. 

Methane is an invisible gas that is rapidly heating up the atmosphere. It's released into the atmosphere in a number of ways, including leaks during fossil fuel production, from the digestive systems of cows, and from rotting food in landfills. The gas is like carbon dioxide on steroids and is 84 times more powerful at warming the planet. Unlike carbon dioxide, which can stay in the atmosphere for centuries, methane only lasts for about a decade.