Around the world, countries are working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the rate of climate change. Commitments to reduce emissions such as the Paris Agreement and the Global Methane Pledge of Vital. Methane, which is produced by the decomposition of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, is a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas. And as they are significantly waterlogged, inland wetlands in particular produce large amounts of methane. However, not all methane emissions are equal. Natural methane emissions, such as those from natural wetlands, have always been part of the global carbon cycle and climate system. The methane produced by natural wetlands does not contribute to the rapidly increasing global temperatures generated by humans. It is human activity, such as fossil fuel production, agriculture and waste decomposition that has resulted in the most harmful methane production and has had the greatest impact on climate change. Global efforts to reduce methane emissions must take account of the multiple benefits that natural and restored wetlands offer. Wetlands store large amounts of carbon in the soil and are important carbon sinks. They even store more carbon than forests. But more than one-third of wetland ecosystems have been lost since 1970. The human-inflicted loss and degradation of wetlands leads to greater global warming caused by higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. And as CO2 has a long atmospheric lifetime, once it is emitted, it will remain there for hundreds of years, continuously contributing to the increase of global temperatures. Methane, on the other hand, has a short atmospheric lifetime and will disappear from the atmosphere within a decade. Whilst restoring wetlands can raise methane emissions temporarily, best practice restoration reduces this risk. Restoring wetlands greatly reduces the carbon dioxide emissions of those that have been degraded and enables the continued sequestration and storage of carbon in the soil, reducing the total warming potential. The carbon benefits of protecting and restoring wetlands therefore far outweigh their methane emissions. Global efforts to reduce emissions must start by addressing human activities and human actions and their impact on the climate. Together, we can act to conserve and restore our natural wetlands. To learn more, download our technical report.