The first ever in-person meeting of the world’s largest coalition of states and regions working to cut methane emissions took place at Climate Week NYC.
Held in New York City, on 23 September, the first meeting of the Subnational Methane Action Coalition (SMAC) brought together government leaders who are already members, prospective members, and partner organisations to speed up methane reduction. Cutting methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming, if tackled now.
Western Cape joins the Coalition
A highlight of the event was Western Cape, South Africa, signing on as SMAC’s 22nd member. Secretary Yana Garcia of the California Environmental Protection Agency – which founded SMAC in 2023 at COP28 in Dubai – welcomed the South African province’s Premier Alan Winde to the coalition.
Premier Winde said, “The Western Cape Government is proud to stand alongside other regional governments committed to bold methane reduction. By joining the Subnational Methane Action Coalition, we're accelerating climate action, protecting public health, and unlocking cleaner, more resilient economies. The technical support and peer learning through this coalition will support the Western Cape on our transition to a net zero province by 2050.”
Spotlight on California and Córdoba
Participants heard compelling insights from two member governments. Secretary Yana Garcia shared how California is tackling methane emissions from over 1.5 million cows, nearly 400 landfills, and 50,000 active oil and gas wells – sources responsible for 54%, 22%, and 15% of the state’s methane emissions, respectively. California’s strategy includes the anaerobic digestion and composting of organic waste, as well as a US $100 million satellite programme to detect methane leaks from space.
Pablo Gabutti, Secretary of Energy Transition, Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Services of Córdoba, Argentina, highlighted the province’s work to turn agriculture waste (the main source of its methane emissions) into biogas to produce low-carbon energy.
An interactive session followed, where government leaders explored specific challenges they face in scaling up methane reduction efforts and identified the tools and support needed to accelerate action.
Momentum on methane
This SMAC event comes amid growing global awareness of methane ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November 2025. While methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, it remains in the atmosphere for much less time – so reducing it can act as an emergency brake on climate change.
State and regional governments are critical to making this happen, as they regulate methane’s main sources: agriculture, fossil fuel production and waste. As the turnout during the event at Climate Week NYC showed, momentum is gaining for subnational governments to grasp this historic opportunity.
Organised by Climate Group as SMAC’s new coordinator, the Subnational Methane Action Coalition: Collaborate and Connect event was hosted by Ken Alex, Director of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, the coalition’s technical partner.
We also organised a lively, closed-door roundtable on subnational methane action at Climate Week NYC. The 5-year methane countdown: Are states and regions our last, best hope? involved a group of policymakers, practitioners and innovators delving deep into challenges and solutions around methane emissions from food and farming.
Find out more about SMAC: Subnational Methane Action Coalition | Climate Group