“Peace is a prerequisite for achieving net zero.” The words hung heavy with meaning on the last day of the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum. Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University, delivered a strong reminder that oil and gas companies must be held accountable for their net zero pledges using the best available transparency technology.
During her keynote, Kyte addressed the importance of reducing SLCP emissions as a “fast decarbonization sprint while we run the deep decarbonization marathon.” She explained that current technology has made clear the ways in which methane leakage has been drastically underestimated in the oil and gas sector, and that this data should be used as leverage for “different conversations” with the industry regarding the integrity of their net zero pledges.
The rest of the morning sessions focused on how to mobilize financing for fast climate action. Panellists spoke about the need to address fossil fuel subsidies, as well as the role of carbon pricing and carbon markets in potentially generating economic benefits from methane reductions in developing countries.
The sessions reiterated the importance of awareness-raising and capacity-building for methane reduction opportunities in order to leverage their scientific, economic, and social benefits. Many of the participants agreed on the need to bring more transparency into their numbers, and to continue to pressure multilateral development banks (MDBs) towards ambitious work.
In the afternoon, technical sessions convened on such topics as:
- Aligning agriculture with net-zero plans;
- Scaling up financing in the household energy sector;
- Tackling methane emissions from coal mining; and
- Financing and implementing mitigation options in municipal solid waste.
Participants were also invited on site visits of an anaerobic digester, a wastewater treatment plant, and a county landfill in the surrounding region.
In the evening, a closing reception was co-hosted by the Pisces Foundation, World Resources Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, and Clean Air Task Force.
IISD's Summary: A summary report of the Forum will be available on this site on Sunday, 2 October 2022.
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For photos from the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum, please use the following attribution: Photo by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera.
To receive free coverage of global environmental events delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the ENB Update newsletter.
High Level Plenary: Financing Fast Climate Action
Participants listen to the keynote speaker Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and Member of the Climate Policy Initiative Board.
Hope Bigda-Peyton, US EPA
Moderator Helen Mountford, President and CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation
Mindy Lubber, CEO and President, Ceres, speaks via video.
Marcelo Mena, CEO, Global Methane Hub
Mark Bowman, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Jennifer Sara, World Bank
Bella Tonkonogy, US Director, Climate Policy Initiative
Chandra Shekhar Sinha, World Bank
Bala Bappa, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria
Kevin Massy, Equinor
Manfredi Caltagirone, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Carolina Urmeneta, Global Methane Hub, takes a photo of the panel.
Peter Dery, CCAC Co-Chair, Ghana
Janine Kuriger, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Gonzalo Muñoz, High-level Climate Champion for the UNFCCC 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25), intervenes online.
Jay Waldvogel, Senior Vice President, Dairy Farmers of America
A panel discusses the government perspective on the drivers and opportunities for mobilizing SLCP finance.
Carolina Urmeneta, Global Methane Hub
Johan Kuylenstierna, CCAC Scientific Advisory Panel
Hilen Meirovich, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Invest
Osei Frimpong, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana, records Thursday's proceedings.
Municipal Solid Waste – Policies to Incentivize Solutions and Finance for Implementation
Participants during the technical session
Albert Magalang, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines
A slide from the presentation by Albert Magalang, the Philippines
A slide from the presentation by Giulia Ceccarelli, World Biogas Association (WBA)
Giulia Ceccarelli, WBA
Mitigation from Livestock by Incentivizing Solutions
Participants listen to the remarks by Jay Waldvogel, Dairy Farmers of America.
Data and Measurement of Methane Emissions for Coal Mining
Alberto Alva-Argaez, Process Ecology
A slide from the presentation by Alberto Alva-Argaez, Process Ecology
Participants during the presentations by panelists
National Planning on SLCPs – Implementing and Financing National Climate and Clean Air Planning
Ange-Benjamin Brida, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Côte d’Ivoire
Scaling up Financing in the Household Energy Sector
Yabei Zhang, World Bank
A slide from the presentation by Yabei Zhang, World Bank
Agriculture – Aligning with Net-zero Action Plans
Martial Bernoux, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), moderates the technical session.
Around the Venue
Representatives from Ghana with Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, CCAC, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Janine Kuriger and Philippe Brunet, SDC, in conversations with Martial Bernoux, FAO
Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and Member of the Climate Policy Initiative Board, and Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, CCAC, UNEP
Participants leave for the agriculture, wastewater, and solid waste site visits.
The ENB team at the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum (L-R): Bernard Soubry, Canada; María Ovalle, Chile; and Diego Noguera, Colombia