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Policy Lessons Learned in Reducing Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Sector
The briefing argues that methane mitigation in the oil and gas sector is technologically feasible and often cost-effective, but requires regulatory mandates rather than just voluntary actions to ensure uniform adoption. It highlights that a 50% reduction in emissions could be achieved at no net cost, providing a significant climate impact. Key barriers identified include limited capital for state-owned companies and insufficient monitoring staff in some countries, suggesting a need for innovative financing and third-party verification technologies.
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Document type: Briefing
Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling
The study compares TA-based reconstructions of water-table depth (WTD) against instrumentally monitored data and MILLENNIA model predictions. While monitored and modelled WTD showed strong agreement, TA reconstructions were consistently deeper. The research suggests that discrepancies between TA predictions and model outputs, particularly between 1830 and 1930, may be explained by grouse moor management and drainage, which lead to predicted carbon losses and reduced methane emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
Regulations Limiting Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Natural Gas-fired Generation of Electricity
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and partner organizations support the 2030 coal phase-out but warn that the proposed Gas Regulations may encourage investment in inefficient natural gas technologies. They highlight significant health risks from hydraulic fracturing and the high climate-forcing potential of methane. The submission recommends lowering CO2 emission limits for new and medium-sized units, banning inefficient coal-to-gas boilers after 2029, and requiring offsets for emissions during emergency maintenance.
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Document type: Statement
THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS AS A CLIMATE STRATEGY IN THE UNITED STATES
The document examines the production and use of renewable natural gas (RNG) as a climate strategy in the United States, focusing on its potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when derived from organic waste. It identifies that RNG is most effective when produced from waste rather than dedicated land and when it results in net methane emissions reductions. The paper highlights promising feedstocks such as food and yard waste diverted from landfills and livestock manure. While RNG production costs are higher than conventional natural gas, the report notes that economic viability is supported by low-carbon fuel standards and federal incentives. However, it warns that RNG can increase net methane emissions if it comprises 'new methane'—methane that would not have otherwise entered the atmosphere—due to supply chain leakage. The authors call for more data on methane leakage and life-cycle carbon intensities to better integrate RNG into long-term climate plans.
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Document type: Research paper
ENHANCING CANADA’S CLIMATE COMMITMENTS: BUILDING ON THE PAN-CANADIAN FRAMEWORK
The analysis finds that the Pan-Canadian Framework (PCF), if fully implemented, will leave a 2030 emissions gap of 161 million metric tons (MMT), which is 3.7 times larger than the 44 MMT shortfall predicted by the Canadian government. While an 'Extended' scenario—strengthening PCF policies through 2050—comes closer to the 2030 target, it still falls short of Canada's mid-century goal to reduce emissions by 80-90 percent below 2005 levels. The report highlights that the carbon tax and methane capture are the most effective PCF policies for 2030, and that both the PCF and PCF Extended scenarios would result in significant annual economic savings and thousands of lives saved by 2050 due to reduced particulate matter emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
letter-to-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-re-ensuring-federal-regulations-for-methane-emissions-in-the-oil-and-gas-sector-jan.-31-2018-6cefa164ce43a456.pdf
A coalition of environmental and labor organizations calls on the Canadian government to maintain or strengthen draft methane regulations for the oil and gas sector to meet 2025 reduction targets and Paris Agreement commitments, warning against industry and provincial pressure to weaken these rules.
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Document type: Statement
Coal transition in China
The report analyzes two pathways for China's coal transition: a PEAK-2030 scenario aligned with its INDC and a more ambitious PEAK-2025 scenario. It argues that an early peak is possible through stringent policies in the power, industry, and building sectors, while emphasizing the need to manage socio-economic risks such as stranded assets in the electricity sector and job losses in coal-producing regions. The analysis highlights significant co-benefits for air quality and public health, as well as the potential for reducing methane emissions from coal mining.
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Document type: Report
Policy API’s “Environmental Partnership:” Years Behind the Curve on Methane from the Oil and Gas Industry
The Clean Air Task Force criticizes the API's Environmental Partnership as an insufficient voluntary effort to curb methane emissions, noting that its targets for leak detection and pneumatic controller replacement are far weaker than existing state and federal regulations. The authors argue that voluntary programs cannot achieve the same emission reductions as mandatory, cost-effective standards, highlighting that oil and gas equipment in the US releases over 8 million tons of methane annually.
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Document type: Statement
The business case for biogas from solid waste in the Western Cape
The report examines the biogas industry in the Western Cape, South Africa, which it describes as being in a "nascent or infant state". Through five case studies and two financial scenarios, it concludes that biogas project viability is highly site-specific and depends heavily on economies of scale, high on-site energy requirements, and high waste management costs. The analysis suggests that small-scale commercial installations (<50 kWe) are generally not financially viable, while medium-scale installations (>50 kWe; <1MW) at abattoirs can be viable, particularly when waste disposal costs are high due to legislative changes regarding landfill classifications.
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Document type: Report
The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Biological Resources
The document outlines three primary actions for cities to reduce their carbon footprint through biological resource management: diverting organic waste from landfills to prevent methane emissions, expanding urban forestry to create carbon sinks and reduce cooling energy needs, and promoting plant-based diets to lower food-related emissions.
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Document type: Guide
Biogas: Converting Waste to Energy
The United States produces over 70 million tons of organic waste annually, yet utilizes less than 20 percent of its biogas potential. By employing anaerobic digestion to process livestock manure, food waste, and crop residues, the U.S. could add 13,500 new biogas systems, creating over 350,000 total jobs and significantly reducing methane emissions. Biogas can be used for on-site heat and power or refined into renewable natural gas (RNG) for pipelines and vehicles, with the potential to replace 10 percent of U.S. natural gas. Key policy drivers include the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and various USDA and DOE funding programs, though some face appropriation reductions.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Biogas: Converting Waste to Energy
The United States produces over 70 million tons of organic waste annually, yet only 2,200 biogas systems are currently operating, representing less than 20 percent of the total potential. Biogas, produced via anaerobic digestion, can be used for heat, electricity, or upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) for pipelines and vehicles. The document highlights that expanding to 13,500 additional systems could create over 335,000 construction jobs and 23,000 permanent jobs while significantly reducing methane emissions. Key feedstocks include food waste, landfill gas, livestock manure, wastewater sludge, and crop residues. Federal support is provided through the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Farm Bill, and agency programs like AgSTAR and the Landfill Methane Outreach Program.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Reintegrating Land and Livestock
The report argues that reintegrating livestock into diversified cropping systems can improve farmer profits and reduce environmental degradation. Using economic and environmental modeling, it demonstrates that transitioning from corn-soy monocultures to perennial pastures and complex rotations can sequester soil carbon, reduce synthetic fertilizer and fuel use, and lower water footprints. However, the author notes that these systems typically produce less beef per acre, suggesting that the greatest benefits occur when improved management is paired with a reduction in overall beef consumption. The report concludes with policy recommendations for the USDA and Congress to incentivize regenerative practices through conservation programs, crop insurance reform, and increased agroecological research.
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Document type: Report
Tracing Who’s Responsible for Temperature Increase and Sea Level Rise
The document details findings from a study published in Climatic Change that attributes specific percentages of global warming and sea level rise to the largest carbon producers. It highlights that the 90 largest producers contributed 57% of the atmospheric carbon dioxide rise since 1880, while 50 investor-owned companies were responsible for roughly 16% of the temperature increase and 11% of sea level rise over the same period. The text argues that these companies knew of the risks as early as 1965 but chose to misinform the public.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Livestock manure management practices Bangladesh
The study analyzes manure management in Bangladesh, finding that the majority of large ruminant manure is kept in solid storage or used as fuel. It calculates specific methane emission factors for various livestock types and identifies farmer unawareness and credit constraints as primary barriers to improved management.
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Document type: Research paper
Navigating the maize
The report by Cerulogy critiques an ICF International assessment that claimed corn ethanol's GHG intensity in 2014 was 30% lower than the U.S. EPA's 2022 projections. Cerulogy identifies systemic errors, including the use of preliminary rather than final EPA data, the double-counting of co-product credits, and an over-reliance on a single non-peer-reviewed study (Babcock and Iqbal, 2014) to justify lower international land use change emissions. The review concludes that the ICF report's results are 'meaningless' or 'inaccurate' in several key areas, including rice methane and nitrogen emissions, and recommends that the ICF's revised lifecycle intensity be disregarded.
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Document type: Report
How the Trump Administration Has Harmed Public Health and Safety in Its First Six Months
The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the Trump administration has waged a "war on science" by sidelining independent advice, appointing conflicted leaders, and rolling back science-based environmental and health protections. The report documents a pattern of political interference, including the removal of climate change data from federal websites and the creation of a hostile work environment for federal scientists, which the authors claim endangers vulnerable populations and erodes public trust in government.
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Document type: Executive summary
Sidelining Science Since Day One
The report argues that the Trump administration has systematically eroded the role of science in federal policymaking through the appointment of conflicted officials, the removal of scientific data from government websites, and the rollback of science-based public health and environmental protections. It highlights specific actions, such as the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the delay of methane emission standards, as evidence of a strategy to prioritize industry profits over public safety. The document concludes with recommendations for scientists, Congress, and the media to defend scientific integrity.
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Document type: Report
The Promises and Limits of Biomethane as a Transportation Fuel
The document examines biomethane derived from landfills, wastewater treatment centers, and dairies as a replacement for diesel and natural gas in California's heavy-duty vehicle fleets. While acknowledging its climate benefits over fossil fuels, the authors highlight that California's total biomethane potential from waste would meet only 3% of the state's natural gas demand and 15% of its diesel consumption. The report warns that promoting compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles could inadvertently increase reliance on fossil natural gas due to this supply gap. It concludes that biomethane provides the greatest emissions reductions when used to generate electricity or hydrogen for electric vehicles, but that battery electric vehicles powered by the grid remain the most effective path for meeting climate goals.
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Document type: Fact sheet
California Air Resources Board comments on the 2017 Scoping Plan Update
The Institute for Policy Integrity recommends that the California Air Resources Board enhance its 2017 Scoping Plan Update by using the Social Cost of Methane to assess methane emissions and by monetizing the co-benefits of greenhouse gas reduction measures.
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Document type: Statement