Canada Launches AVOID-Methane to Export Emissions Tech
Canada's new global initiative aims to connect its methane-reduction technologies and services with buyers and partners in international markets.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Environmental
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Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Julie Dabrusin launched AVOID-Methane at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye. The Canada-led initiative will enable business-to-business engagement and knowledge exchange on methane reduction.
Why it matters
Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere, and reducing it is among the most effective near-term ways to slow global warming. The initiative is intended to move Canadian methane-reduction technology into international markets.
Methane is responsible for about 30% of the rise in global temperatures to date, according to figures cited at the launch. Canada's oil and gas methane emissions fell to 44% below 2012 levels in 2024, though the timeline for the 2030 target of 72% below 2012 levels remains a projection.
The players
Julie Dabrusin
Julie Dabrusin is Canada's Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, who launched AVOID-Methane at COP31.
Global Methane Initiative
The Global Methane Initiative is an international partnership of 46 governments and more than 700 non-governmental members working to reduce methane emissions, which Canada now chairs.
Global Methane Pledge
The Global Methane Pledge is an international effort co-convened by Canada and the European Union to cut global methane emissions.
The details
Canadian companies developed technology to find and fix methane leaks after Canada began regulating methane from oil and gas. AVOID-Methane is designed to help these providers connect with prospective buyers and partners abroad.
Timeline
2024: Canada's methane emissions reached their lowest level since tracking began in 1990.
June 2026: The UN Secretary-General released a Call to Action on Methane in London.
November 13, 2026: AVOID-Methane was launched at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
2027: Canada will explore beginning business-to-business matching for methane providers.
2030: Enhanced Methane Regulations target 72% below 2012 oil-and-gas methane levels.
Big Picture
Canada's Enhanced Methane Regulations are projected to cut oil-and-gas methane emissions to 72% below 2012 levels by 2030. AVOID-Methane extends that domestic regulatory push by exporting the technology it helped create to international markets.
Companies in the methane-detection and repair sector may gain access to buyers and partners abroad through AVOID-Methane. Readers interested in the sector can track the 2027 matching program as it develops.
The takeaway
Methane reduction is among the quickest levers for slowing near-term warming, and the initiative shows how domestic regulation can open export markets for the technology it creates.
What happens next
Canada will explore opportunities to begin business-to-business matching in 2027, and AVOID-Methane will later expand to include solution providers from other countries.
Further reading
For more on the climate policy behind this launch, see the Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Belleville Intelligencer.
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