As the World Biogas Association marks 10 years of global advocacy, the focus turns to the next challenge: translating recognition into investment, implementation and measurable climate impact. 

When the World Biogas Association (WBA) launched at COP22 in Marrakesh in 2016, biogas needed a stronger voice in the global climate and energy conversation.  A decade later, methane mitigation is gaining prominence in climate policy, while biogas and biomethane are increasingly recognised for their potential to support renewable energy, sustainable organic waste management and the circular economy. 

WBA has helped advance this agenda through research, international advocacy and engagement with governments and institutions, including the International Energy Agency, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the World Bank, and UNIDO. Its work has helped bring evidence of biogas’s global potential into policy discussions and strengthen the case for its role in climate action. 

After years of raising the profile of biogas and building recognition of its potential to support climate action, the past five years have seen more than 50 new policies incorporating biogas. Alongside this progress, WBA has developed practical tools to help translate growing policy recognition into implementation on the ground. 

Through its #MakingBiogasHappen (MBH) programme, including the Global Biogas Regulatory Framework (GBRF) and ADCS International, WBA is working to strengthen the policy and regulatory foundations and operational standards needed for wider deployment. GBRF outlines nine pillars of effective policy and regulation, while ADCS International supports professional standards across the biogas sector. 

Together, these initiatives address a central challenge: creating the conditions for biogas to scale safely, sustainably and professionally. 

But recognition is not the same as delivery. 

From potential to performance 

For biogas to fulfil its potential, the sector must overcome the practical barriers that stand between climate ambition and projects that deliver lasting results. 

• First, policy must be translated into projects. Clear regulations, consistent standards, and effective implementation are essential to give developers and investors’ confidence. Frameworks must support the entire value chain, from reliable feedstock supply and plant operations to gas offtake and digestate management. 

• Second, methane reductions must be measurable. The climate case for biogas depends on demonstrable outcomes. Better organic waste management, robust methane monitoring and credible measurement, reporting and verification are essential to understand impact and build confidence in emissions-reduction claims. 

• Third, investment must deliver reliable performance. Installed capacity alone is not enough. Projects must secure dependable feedstock, operate efficiently, meet technical standards, and demonstrate long-term viability. Bankability, operational capability, and performance must be considered from the outset. 

These are not separate challenges. They are interconnected conditions for building a biogas industry that can attract investment, deliver reliable renewable energy and demonstrate its contribution to climate goals. 

Why COP31 matters 

The COP31 summit, taking place from 9-20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, offers an important opportunity to turn this implementation challenge into action. 

Through its Zero Waste and Methane Reduction Action Agenda, WBA is highlighting the need to bring waste-sector methane reduction further into the climate implementation agenda. The priorities include preventing waste, scaling circular-economy solutions, addressing methane emissions from landfill and integrating waste-related methane reduction into national climate plans. 

For the biogas sector, this creates a clear opportunity. Separately collected organic waste can be treated through anaerobic digestion to produce renewable biogas or biomethane and recover valuable nutrients. At the same time, methane generated by waste already deposited in landfills must be addressed through effective landfill gas monitoring, capture and utilisation where feasible. 

Preventing future emissions and tackling existing landfill methane are complementary priorities. Neither should be treated as a substitute for the other. 

WBA’s work connects this policy focus with practical solutions, helping governments, industry and investors move towards measures that can be implemented, financed and assessed against measurable outcomes. 

COP31 should not simply be another moment of recognition for biogas. It should help accelerate the policies, investment, and delivery mechanisms needed to reduce waste-sector methane emissions at scale. 

The next decade: #MakingBiogasHappen at scale 

WBA’s tenth anniversary is an opportunity to recognise the progress made in bringing biogas into the global climate and energy conversation, but it is also a moment to look ahead. 

The next decade must focus on accelerating deployment, strengthening regulatory frameworks, building industry capability, and unlocking investment in projects that perform reliably. Through #MakingBiogasHappen, WBA will continue working with its global community to support the policy foundations, standards and collaboration needed to achieve this. 

Ultimately, progress must be measured by outcomes: less methane released, more organic waste managed sustainably, reliable renewable energy production and greater value created for communities, agriculture and energy systems. 

The first decade helped strengthen biogas’ place on the global agenda. The next must turn that recognition into delivery. 

As the world looks towards COP31, WBA will continue working to ensure biogas is not only recognised as part of the solution but deployed at the scale needed to contribute meaningfully to climate action, energy security and the circular economy. 

That is what it will take to make biogas happen at scale. That is how we will keep #MakingBiogasHappen.