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Modeling Deeper Decarbonization in Northeastern US States
The study investigates deeper decarbonization in the Northeastern U.S., finding that Rhode Island could potentially reduce emissions by 80% by 2030 using existing technologies. While significant reductions of 70% to 80% are possible by 2030, 2040, or 2050, complete decarbonization is hindered by methane leakage from landfills and natural gas transmission, industrial emissions, and air travel.
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Document type: Research paper
THE GAS INDEX
The Gas Index finds that methane leakage across the U.S. natural gas supply chain is significantly more extensive than EPA estimates, particularly within city distribution systems and buildings. The report argues that replacing gas heating with electric heat pumps would reduce emissions in every city evaluated, with the greatest benefits occurring where electricity grids are decarbonized.
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Document type: Report
Commission delegated regulation – EU Sustainable Finance - EU classification system for green investments
ClientEarth's feedback on the EU Taxonomy draft delegated regulation emphasizes the need for science-based thresholds, the exclusion of fossil gas and hazardous chemicals, and the prevention of corporate lobbying from watering down environmental standards.
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Document type: Statement
CATF Statement on House Passage of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the House passage of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act of 2020, asserting that it accelerates progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The organization highlights the bill's investment in carbon capture and removal, hydrogen production, advanced nuclear energy, and methane reduction on federal lands as critical for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.
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Document type: Statement
RMI Joins Major Oil and Gas Companies to Support Methane Monitoring
RMI and several major oil and gas companies, including BP, Equinor, Exxon, and Shell, have condemned the US EPA's decision to stop methane emissions monitoring. RMI argues that monitoring and abatement are essential for natural gas to have any future role in the energy system, as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with 28-36x the warming potential of carbon dioxide over 100 years. The document asserts that affordable detection technologies, such as optical gas imaging cameras, are available and that regulation is necessary to ensure all operators meet performance standards.
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Document type: Statement
BEHIND THE CURTAINS: When the gas and nuclear lobbies reshape the EU sustainable taxonomy
The briefing by Reclaim Finance details how the fossil gas and nuclear lobbies have exerted significant pressure on the European Commission to include their activities in the EU sustainable taxonomy. Despite the Technical Expert Group's initial recommendation to exclude them based on environmental harm and carbon thresholds, the document highlights a high volume of meetings between EU officials and lobbyists, as well as substantial financial spending by these sectors to reshape the regulation.
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Document type: Briefing
RHETORIC VS. REALITY
The report refutes the claim that fossil gas alternatives (FGAs) can decarbonize buildings, asserting that their limited supply and high costs make them an inefficient choice compared to electrification. It highlights that FGAs can only replace a small fraction of gas demand and may exacerbate pollution and health risks. The document further alleges that the gas industry uses FGAs as a rhetorical tool and employs 'front groups' to stall the transition to all-electric buildings to protect its financial interests.
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Document type: Report
Regulatory Solutions for Building Decarbonization
The report argues that current utility regulation is incompatible with an all-electric future and proposes ten strategies to decarbonize US buildings. It emphasizes electrification via heat pumps as the primary solution, warning that alternative fuels like biomethane are costly and limited in scale. Key recommendations include reforming electricity rate designs, updating energy efficiency standards to account for total emissions, and proactively managing the retirement of gas infrastructure to avoid stranded asset risks and inequitable cost burdens on low-income customers.
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Document type: Report
DE L’ELDORADO GAZIER AU CHAOS
The report details how France's economic diplomacy and financial support for gas projects in Mozambique, specifically in the Cabo Delgado region, have contributed to a cycle of debt, corruption, and violence. It highlights the 'tuna bonds' scandal involving the CMN shipyards and the subsequent militarization of gas sites, which has led to significant human rights violations and the displacement of local populations. The document further argues that these projects are 'climate bombs' that contradict France's international climate commitments and threaten the biodiversity of the Quirimbas biosphere.
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Document type: Report
DO ELDORADO do gÁs AO CAOS
The document details how French involvement in Mozambique's gas sector—through companies like Total and TechnipFMC and banks such as Crédit Agricole—has contributed to a cycle of debt, corruption, and human rights abuses. It highlights the 'tuna bonds' scandal, where illicit debts were contracted to fund a defense program under the guise of fishing. In Cabo Delgado, the report links gas projects to an insurgency that has caused over 1,100 deaths and displaced 100,000 people, noting that militarization prioritizes corporate assets over civilians. Environmentally, the report warns that three developing gas projects could emit greenhouse gases equivalent to seven years of France's total emissions, threatening the biodiversity of the Quirimbas biosphere reserve.
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Document type: Report
GAMBLING ON GAS
Between January 2017 and June 2020, Japanese public and private institutions provided at least US$23.4 billion in financing for LNG infrastructure across 10 countries. The report argues that the original rationales for this policy—energy security, climate friendliness, and economic viability—are now flawed due to the vulnerability of supply chains exposed by COVID-19, the high global warming potential of methane leakages, and the declining costs of renewable energy. It highlights that major Japanese banks (MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC) provided the bulk of this funding, while five major trading companies saw a combined year-on-year profit drop of US$625 million in LNG-related businesses by March 2020. The document concludes that continuing to fund LNG infrastructure risks creating stranded assets and contradicts the UN's Principles for Responsible Banking.
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Document type: Report
Tackling Methane Leakage from Oil and Gas
The author contends that the European Green Deal lacks necessary provisions to address methane leakage from the oil and gas sector. While some European companies have committed to a "near-zero methane" future, the author argues that voluntary efforts are insufficient and that the EU should implement enforceable regulations and performance standards for both domestic operators and gas importers to drive global reductions.
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Document type: Statement
Global Electricity Review
The 2020 Global Electricity Review reports a record 3% fall in global coal-fired electricity generation and a 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions in 2019. While coal collapsed in the EU and US, generation rose in China, which now accounts for over 50% of global coal generation. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, providing 8% of the world's electricity. However, the report argues that these declines are largely due to one-off factors and that current progress is insufficient to meet the IPCC's 1.5°C scenario, which would require coal generation to collapse by 11% annually until 2030.
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Document type: Report
Les fuites de méthane certainement sous-estimées
New satellite technology suggests methane leaks are more widespread than previously thought, increasing the risk of stranded assets for financial institutions supporting fossil fuel expansion, particularly shale reserves in the United States.
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Document type: Statement
The Climate Opportunity of Clean Energy Portfolios
The policy brief contends that new natural gas capacity is a primary driver of increased grid emissions in the US and that avoiding 90% of proposed gas plants could save electricity customers over $29 billion. It advocates for a transition to 'clean energy portfolios'—combinations of wind, solar, batteries, demand flexibility, and energy efficiency—to support economy-wide decarbonization and meet international climate targets.
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Document type: Policy brief
Deeper Decarbonization in the Ocean State: The 2019 Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Reduction Study
The report finds that Rhode Island can feasibly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70-80% by 2030, 2040, or 2050 by focusing on electrifying transportation and heating, improving energy efficiency, and transitioning the electricity grid to renewables. A critical finding is that updated science on methane leakage from natural gas infrastructure reveals that 2017 emissions were approximately 45% higher than previously estimated in 2016. While the 2050 pathway is relatively low-cost, the 2030 pathway requires a significant spending spike, resembling a 'Green New Deal' approach. The study emphasizes that reaching net-zero requires the complete phase-out of natural gas and further research into industrial decarbonization and carbon sequestration.
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Document type: Research paper
Re: Tacoma LNG Project, & Proposed Order of Approval No. 11386
The document argues for the denial of the Tacoma LNG project, claiming it locks Washington into 40 years of fossil fuel dependence and poses significant safety and health risks. It asserts that the project's purpose has shifted from peak-shaving for utility customers to primarily serving as a marine and trucking fuel source, necessitating a new environmental review. The authors contend that the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) has underestimated greenhouse gas emissions by relying on flawed assumptions regarding methane leakage and the 'no-action' alternative. Additionally, the document highlights failures in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to address recent LNG disasters, cumulative toxic air emissions in a densely populated urban area, and environmental justice impacts on the South Sound community and the Puyallup Tribe.
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Document type: Statement
Risks, barriers and responses to Indonesia's biogas development
The document assesses the viability of biogas in Indonesia through two pathways: a low-cost household-scale option for cooking and lighting, and a high-investment large-scale option for electricity production. While biogas offers significant GHG mitigation potential—estimated at 6.4 million tons CO2/year for small digesters and 2.6 GW for large-scale production—its development is hindered by a lack of government priority, high initial investment costs, and competing fossil fuel subsidies. The report identifies critical risks including inadequate monitoring of household systems, bureaucratic distribution, and the unreliability of biogas-fuelled power plants. It recommends that the Indonesian government formulate clear renewable energy targets, strengthen monitoring standards, and introduce favorable feed-in tariffs to incentivize private investment.
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Document type: Briefing
PROTEST OF SIERRA CLUB
The Sierra Club argues that the proposed Biomethane Tariff by Sempra Utilities is a 'greenwashing' exercise that fails to meet California's incrementality standards for green energy programs. The protest highlights that the tariff would allow the sale of renewable attributes from existing methane sources, potentially including those outside the United States, without ensuring the development of new renewable facilities. Furthermore, the Sierra Club contends that the program lacks a finalized certification protocol and a transparent methodology for calculating greenhouse gas reductions, while potentially incentivizing industrial dairy operations that cause localized air and water pollution. The document suggests that the limited supply of biomethane—estimated at less than four percent of California's total gas demand—should be reserved for hard-to-electrify applications rather than voluntary subscriptions that perpetuate reliance on gas infrastructure.
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Document type: Statement
NYK issues first green bond from the shipping sector
The Climate Bonds Initiative evaluates the JPY10bn green bond issued by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) on 24 May 2018. While the bond is included in the Climate Bonds database because LNG-fuelled ships are currently the lowest-emission option for long-haul shipping, the briefing argues that switching to LNG is insufficient for long-term climate goals. LNG-fuelled ships reduce total GHG emissions by only 15-21% and CO2 by 30% compared to heavy fuel oil ships, failing to meet the IMO's 2030 target of a 40% cut in GHG emission intensity. The document highlights the risk of 'lock in' to fossil fuels, as these vessels will operate into the 2030s, potentially delaying the transition to commercially viable renewable fuels like ammonia and hydrogen. It also emphasizes the necessity of controlling methane leakage to prevent LNG from having a worse GHG profile than traditional fuels.
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Document type: Briefing