Search Climate Insights Directory

The document outlines the specific points of methane and CO2 leakage and combustion within the oil and gas industry. It argues that reducing these emissions is critical for meeting the 1.5 degree warming target, noting that methane is 80x more damaging than CO2 in the short term and that existing technologies can reduce these emissions at low cost. The supply chain is broken down into production and processing (onshore and offshore), transmission and storage, and distribution to end users.

The report argues that the oil and gas industry is in an inevitable decline, leaving behind millions of unplugged wells that pose severe risks to public health and the environment. It highlights how inadequate bonding requirements and bankruptcy laws in the US and Canada enable companies to offload decommissioning costs onto taxpayers. The document warns that unconventional drilling, such as fracking and deepwater projects, is significantly more expensive to close than conventional wells, creating material financial risks for investors and governments. It concludes that a just transition requires strict enforcement of the 'polluter pays' principle and the closure of legal loopholes to ensure companies, rather than the public, fund the remediation of toxic assets.

The report identifies significant economic potential in South Africa's waste sector, particularly through the transition toward a circular economy. It highlights the City of Cape Town as a primary hub for waste beneficiation due to its high landfill gate fees and substantial investments in material recovery facilities. Key growth drivers include the 2020 National Waste Management Strategy, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, and provincial landfill restrictions on organic waste. While the plastics and e-waste sectors show strong potential for virgin material replacement and national processing, challenges such as inadequate source separation, data gaps, and the volatility of virgin plastic prices persist.

The Clean Air Task Force proposes a set of regulatory measures to reduce U.S. oil and gas methane emissions by 65% relative to 2012 levels by 2025. The plan focuses on seven key areas: frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR), replacing gas-driven pneumatic equipment with non-emitting alternatives, controlling storage tank emissions, minimizing well completion emissions, regulating compressors and dehydrators, reducing oil well venting and flaring, and minimizing maintenance venting. The analysis suggests these measures would reduce 2025 emissions by 7.8 million metric tons of methane compared to current policies, equivalent to 680 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent over a 20-year horizon.

The document examines the challenges and opportunities for private investment in Peru's waste sector to meet NDC goals. It evaluates specific technology options for landfills in Trujillo and San Juan Bautista, develops financial investment cases, and identifies systemic barriers such as high tax delinquency and lack of regulatory capacity. To address these, the paper proposes three priority measures: integrating waste tax collection into public utility bills, creating a national methodology for calculating waste service costs, and expanding the 'Work for Taxes' (OxI) scheme to final waste disposal infrastructure.

The Clean Air Task Force proposes a federal policy platform to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through the deployment of zero-carbon technologies, strong regulatory standards, increased RD&D funding, and targeted financial incentives. Key priorities include achieving 100 percent zero-carbon electricity, reducing oil and gas methane emissions by 65%, and transitioning away from unabated fossil fuels while supporting vulnerable and fossil-fuel-dependent communities.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the UK government's Green Recovery plan for its focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and low carbon hydrogen as essential for net-zero goals. The plan allocates £1bn total to CCS and £500M to low carbon hydrogen, targeting industrial clusters such as Teesside and Humber. While endorsing the 'all of the above' approach and the development of zero carbon liquid fuels, CATF emphasizes that the UK must immediately reduce methane emissions from natural gas to effectively mitigate warming.

The briefing argues that the Biden administration can reclaim U.S. climate leadership by submitting a robust national climate commitment (NDC) of 45-50% emissions reductions by 2030, increasing financial support for developing countries through the Green Climate Fund and other mechanisms, and integrating climate change as a core foreign policy issue through strategic bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

ClientEarth urges EU decision-makers to prohibit the use of Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds for gas-reliant projects, asserting that such investments would breach the Paris Agreement and EU legal obligations. The document argues that gas is not a viable 'bridge fuel' due to methane leakages and that existing infrastructure overcapacity makes new investments a stranded asset risk.

The report finds that Poland was responsible for 70% of methane leaks from Europe's operational coal mines in 2018. These emissions, totaling 659 kilotonnes, have a 20-year climate impact equivalent to 56.7 million tonnes of CO2, which exceeds the 2018 CO2 emissions of the Belchatów power plant. The analysis identifies two companies, JSW and PGG, as responsible for 90% of leaks from operational hard coal mines, with the Budryk deep mine identified as the largest emitter in Europe. The report recommends accelerating methane reduction plans, prioritizing the closure of methane-intensive mines, banning the release of captured methane, and integrating coal mine methane into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme by 2030.

The document highlights a significant misalignment between government energy production plans and Paris Agreement goals, noting that governments planned to extract 60% more oil, 70% more gas, and 280% more coal by 2030 than is consistent with a 1.5°C pathway. It suggests that NDCs and LT-LEDS can be used to communicate pathways, targets, and policy measures to manage the transition away from fossil fuels while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.

The document argues that Mexico's food systems can drive a just recovery by integrating sustainable practices in the primary sector, shortening distribution chains, and improving public nutrition. It highlights the vulnerability of the sector to the climate crisis and the exacerbation of food insecurity and malnutrition caused by the pandemic. Key recommendations include reorienting agricultural subsidies toward crop diversification, implementing sustainability certifications for exporters, supporting small and medium producers with organic fertilizers and digital commerce, and aligning public food procurement with nutritional health standards.

Earthjustice is challenging plans by Arch Coal to expand mining operations in the Sunset Roadless Area adjacent to the West Elk Wilderness. The case focuses on the illegality of roadbuilding exemptions under the 2012 Colorado Roadless Rule and the environmental impact of venting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the West Elk mine, which is identified as the largest industrial source of methane in Colorado.

The Clean Air Task Force supports the European Commission's methane strategy but urges the transition from a strategy to mandatory legislative commitments. It specifically advocates for mandatory quarterly leak detection and repair (LDAR), a firm ban on routine venting and flaring by 2021, and the implementation of a methane performance standard for all gas imported into Europe to ensure the EU meets its climate neutrality goals.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the European Commission's draft methane strategy is a positive starting point but requires stronger mandatory commitments to be effective. CATF recommends mandatory quarterly leak detection and repair (LDAR), a ban on routine venting and flaring by 2021, and the creation of a mandatory Methane Performance Standard for both domestic and imported gas to ensure the EU meets its climate neutrality goals.

The document critiques the Coal Replacement Bonus and the South Bonus introduced in Germany's Coal Phase-out Law, arguing that they overcompensate gas-based CHP plants, risk creating a carbon lock-in effect, and may delay the phase-out of hard coal by offering more attractive financial incentives than closure auctions.

The report critiques common climate scenarios, such as the IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS), for underestimating emissions and overestimating carbon capture to justify continued fossil fuel use. It argues that these scenarios often lead to warming above 2°C despite claims of alignment with the Paris Agreement. The author calls for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel financing by 2040 in Europe and 2050 globally.

The document identifies five 'traps' in climate scenarios—including the omission of non-combustion emissions, reliance on unproven negative emissions technologies, and underestimation of renewable energy—that lead to warming above 2°C. It specifically criticizes the IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) and NGFS 'representative' scenarios for facilitating continued fossil fuel expansion. The author calls for financial actors to phase out fossil fuel financing by 2040 in Europe and 2050 globally.

A joint letter from civil society organisations advocating for the inclusion of the shipping sector in the EU Emissions Trading System and the implementation of a -40% GHG efficiency target by 2030 to address rising maritime emissions.

The letter argues that the Just Transition Fund must be fossil fuel-free to align with the EU Green Deal and the 1.5°C global temperature goal. It criticizes the REGI Committee for a position that could allow new fossil gas investments, noting that methane is the "second most damaging greenhouse gas" and that renewable energy investments create "up to three times more jobs per euro invested" than fossil fuels.