London Climate Action Week 2026: Daily Update – 24/25 June

Global Leaders Rally Around Super Pollutant Action Ahead of COP31

Leaders gathered at St James's Palace on a sweltering Wednesday afternoon in London, for a high-level convening to build momentum on super pollutant action ahead of COP31. Hosted by The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the event brought together UN Secretary-General António Guterres, COP31 President H.E. Murat Kurum, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr., along with ministers, philanthropies, international organizations, and civil society leaders.

Secretary Miliband opened by noting London's unusually high temperatures as a reminder of the urgency behind the United Kingdom's leadership as Co-Chair of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and announced the Nigeria and Vanuatu would both join the UK-led statement on Drastically Reducing Methane Emissions in Global Fossil Fuel Sector. Building on the Call to Action on Methane launched the previous day, Mr. Guterres described methane as the "super super-pollutant" and called for stronger standards, an end to routine flaring and venting, faster leak detection and repair, and accelerated implementation across fossil fuels, agriculture, and waste. President Kurum reaffirmed that Antalya will be an implementation COP, with methane reduction, zero waste, and the circular economy at the heart of the COP31 Action Agenda. Prime Minister Mottley highlighted the importance of cutting super pollutants as one of the fastest ways to slow warming while protecting vulnerable countries and complementing longer-term decarbonization efforts.

The convening also showcased practical solutions already being deployed, often at low or no cost. Partner installations featured the UK Space Agency's satellite monitoring of methane emissions, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition's Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator, Modern Energy Cooking Services' electric cooking solutions, the Clean Air Fund's work on black carbon, C40 Cities' city-led climate action, WRAP's food waste reduction initiatives, Clean Air Task Force's fossil fuel methane mitigation work, and Wellcome Trust’s research on the health impacts and benefits of tackling super pollutants.

A consistent message emerged throughout the event and across London Climate Action Week: reducing methane and other super pollutants is increasingly recognized not just as a climate imperative, but as a practical agenda for energy security, clean air, public health, economic resilience, and near-term climate action ahead of COP31.

Read more about the event here.

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Climate, Clean Air and Health: The Economic Case for Action

Earlier on Wednesday, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Clean Air Fund convened ministers, business leaders, scientists, philanthropies, and international organizations at the National Theatre to strengthen the economic and public health case for reducing air pollution and super pollutants. In opening keynote remarks, Hon. Julie Dabrusin, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, highlighted the importance of integrated action on climate and clean air and the immediate health and economic benefits of cutting super pollutants. Hon. Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Norway's Minister of Climate and Environment, emphasized that reducing methane and other super pollutants is among the fastest and most cost-effective climate actions available and called for stronger international cooperation to accelerate implementation. 

The discussion, moderated by Martina Otto, Head of the CCAC Secretariat, also featured Jane Burston OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Air Fund, Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive of the Confederation of British Industry, and closing reflections from Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas, COP30 Programme Director. Together, speakers reinforced the message that cleaner air is not only a public health imperative but also an economic opportunity, helping build momentum for the forthcoming CCAC Global Economic Assessment of Climate and Clean Air and the road to COP31.

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Global Methane Pledge Champions Meet to Chart the Road to COP31

Global Methane Pledge Champions and strategic partners met over breakfast at the National Theatre to take stock of the growing political momentum generated during London Climate Action Week and identify priorities for COP31. Convened by Canada and the European Commission as Global Methane Pledge Co-Conveners, the discussion focused on advancing the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on Methane, building support for the UK-led near-zero methane intensity marketplace, engaging major emitters, and ensuring a strong methane agenda at COP31. Participants included representatives from Brazil, France, Türkiye, the International Energy Agency, the Global Methane Hub, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat, UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory, and other key partners.

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Stay tuned: Reflections from London Climate Action Week

What were the biggest takeaways from London Climate Action Week? In this conversation with We Don't Have Time, Martina Otto, Head of the Secretariat of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality at Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and Co-Chair of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, reflect on the week's momentum behind super pollutant action, and why methane, clean air, and implementation are becoming central to the road to COP31.

Watch here tomorrow at 12:30 BST.