At COP28 there is progress in the fight against methane emissions. The USA decides on stricter regulations; Turkmenistan, one of the biggest polluters, joins the Global Methane Pledge.
At COP28 there is progress in regulating methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases – although so far only with new developments and announcements. The USA presented new regulations for the oil and gas sector in the first week of the conference. Turkmenistan, one of the largest methane emitters, has joined the Global Methane Pledge to reduce emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030. And COP President Al Jaber unveiled an industry initiative, the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC).
The matter is urgent because methane has a greenhouse effect that is around 80 times stronger than CO2. “Methane is one of the greatest threats associated with the climate crisis,” US climate envoy John Kerry said during a briefing. In the short term, the greenhouse gas is 80 times more harmful than CO₂. There would be no way to meet the 1.5 degree target unless the world immediately reduced methane emissions, Kerry said.
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New EPA regulations – Xie dampens expectations
In Dubai, Kerry and Chinese special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua reiterated the results of their recent bilateral climate cooperation. In the Sunnylands Statement, China agreed to include methane and other non-CO₂ gases in its 2035 NDC for the first time. Xie said China has “a weak foundation” and still needs to improve its technical capabilities and regulations to control methane emissions.
In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also issued new rules. Oil and gas producers must locate and repair leaks. Routine burning of methane was banned. There will also be more frequent inspections and independent third parties will now report methane leaks directly to the EPA. The oil and gas industry criticized this because it would put too much power in the hands of environmental groups, Reuters reports. The NGO Climate Nexus called the rules a “welcome step forward.” For the first time, existing methane sources from the oil and gas industry would also be regulated and not just new ones, according to Climate Nexus. According to John Kerry, the regulation will reduce methane emissions by almost 80 percent.
Al Jaber presents industrial initiative
COP President Al Jaber has launched an industry initiative to reduce methane emissions. 50 oil and gas companies have signed up to the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC). According to Al Jaber, 31 companies have committed to reducing their emissions by 2030 for the first time. But that is not enough, says Al Jaber. The oil and gas sector must do more to reduce both Scope 1 and 2 emissions. At the same time, he also needs to invest more in green energies and green technologies in order to reduce Scope 3 emissions, i.e. those generated by end consumers when burning fossil fuels.
The initiative’s members include ExxonMobile, Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Occidental Petroleum, as well as state-owned companies Petrobras, Nigeria’s NNPC and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGaz. Chevron and ConocoPhillips as well as the state-owned Chinese companies are not included.
OGDC companies agree to reduce their methane emissions to “near zero” and end routine gas flaring. Specifically: the methane emissions during production, i.e. the methane intensity, may only be 0.2 percent of the total amount of gas sold. According to Fred Krupp, president of the NGO Environmental Defense Fund, this would be a major step forward. Many production companies currently have a methane intensity of 2 to 3 percent. The target of a maximum of 0.2 percent would mean a reduction of 80 to 90 percent of emissions. Krupp also praises the fact that the results should be checked by a third, independent party (“3rd Party Verification”).
The International Energy Agency (IEA) pointed out the enormous potential. “The countries and companies with the best methane levels are more than 100 times better than the worst. There is enormous potential for improvement here. “If everyone worked at the level of the leading companies, we would be almost where we need to be on methane emissions,” said Tim Gould, IEA chief energy economist.
NGOs criticize Al Jaber’s proposal
Melanie Robinson, Global Climate Program Director at the World Resources Institute, criticized the initiative: “Most oil and gas companies around the world already have strict requirements to reduce methane emissions. Strong progress review measures are critical to holding oil and gas companies accountable.”
There was also criticism of Al Jaber’s initiative in the run-up to the COP. It is another of numerous existing industry initiatives and avoids the sector’s Scope 3 emissions. So far, the initiatives appear to have had hardly any significant effects. There continues to be “a consistently high level of annual methane emissions,” Gould said. “The intensity of methane emissions in global production is only decreasing slightly. “We are still well above what the industry should achieve.” The UAE has not yet emerged as a pioneer in methane intensity either.
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