CATF Comments on the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030 should expand its scope beyond renewable energy to include advanced clean energy technologies such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), clean hydrogen, and advanced nuclear. CATF contends these are essential for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry and shipping, and for maintaining grid reliability. The organization also urges USAID to explicitly support the Global Methane Pledge by helping partner countries reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), specifically in the oil and gas sector, provided such investments do not extend the life of fossil fuel operations. Finally, CATF recommends that USAID better align its climate programming with the broader economic, human development, and COVID-recovery priorities of host countries to ensure long-term sustainability and local ownership.

• USAID should prioritize equitable access to advanced clean energy technologies, including clean hydrogen, advanced nuclear, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), to address hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as cement, steel, long-distance shipping, and heavy-duty trucks.
• Relying solely on renewable energy may be insufficient for developing economies due to challenges with peak demand, inclement weather, low-quality renewable potential, and land-use conflicts with agriculture or forest preservation.
• The draft USAID strategy inaccurately characterizes carbon management and advanced nuclear as early-stage R&D; CATF asserts these technologies are already being rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and globally.
• USAID should explicitly support the Global Methane Pledge by helping partner countries reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including methane from oil and gas operations, as long as these investments do not extend the operational life of those facilities.
• To ensure long-term societal buy-in and sustainability, USAID's climate interventions must align with host countries' broader priorities, including poverty eradication, economic development, and COVID-recovery efforts.
• CATF recommends that USAID shift its terminology from "renewable energy" to "zero-carbon solutions" or "clean energy" in various sections of the strategy to be more inclusive of advanced technology pathways.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2021). CATF Comments on the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/10123738/catf-comments-usaid-climate-strategy.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. CATF Comments on the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030. 2021. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/10123738/catf-comments-usaid-climate-strategy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=CATF Comments on the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030 |date=24 November 2021 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/10123738/catf-comments-usaid-climate-strategy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cleanairtaskforce2021catf, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{CATF Comments on the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/10123738/catf-comments-usaid-climate-strategy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }