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The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) asserts that methane mitigation is the most effective strategy for slowing near-term warming, yet it remains severely underfunded. Despite the existence of low-cost abatement opportunities in the oil and gas, waste, and agriculture sectors, finance for methane accounted for less than 2% of total climate finance flows in 2019 and 2020. CATF identifies structural barriers, including a lack of prioritized funding within donor institutions and a dearth of high-quality project proposals from developing countries. To address this, the document recommends scaling donor pledges, developing investable project pipelines, and improving partnerships and carbon market frameworks to support implementation.

A coalition of environmental and industry organisations calls on the European Commission to finalise the RFNBO delegated act, arguing that regulatory certainty is essential for the renewable hydrogen industry and that strict additionality and correlation rules are necessary to ensure genuine decarbonisation.

California's current bottom-up approach to clean energy deployment is insufficient to meet its targets of 90 percent zero-carbon electricity sales by 2035 and 100 percent by 2045. To achieve these goals, the state would need to quadruple its in-state electricity generation capacity and triple its transmission capacity by 2050. The document recommends the creation of a formal Clean Energy Deployment Plan with specific quantities and locations, the assignment of a lead agency, and the implementation of a public progress dashboard.

The waste sector is responsible for approximately 20% of human-driven methane emissions globally, primarily from the anaerobic breakdown of organic waste in landfills and dumps. With global waste generation projected to increase by 73% by 2050, the document argues that reducing methane is critical for slowing global warming and meeting Paris Agreement goals. It proposes a modified waste hierarchy focusing on food waste prevention, organic waste diversion (via composting and anaerobic digestion), and improved landfill design and dump rehabilitation. The brief highlights successful regional policies, such as South Korea's weight-based food waste collection and India's waste segregation rules, while noting that up to 60% of mitigation measures have low or negative costs.

California has passed a series of climate and energy measures to increase clean energy options and accelerate infrastructure projects to meet its ambitious emissions goals and ensure grid reliability.

The report finds that strong methane standards in the U.S. oil and gas sector would create significant employment without negatively impacting drilling activity. The CATF 65% plan is projected to create nearly 220,000 total jobs (including 64,000 direct jobs), while the EPA proposal would create 92,000 total jobs (including 27,000 direct jobs). These jobs span manufacturing, installation, and ongoing operations and maintenance, with a significant portion being non-offshorable and potentially unionized.

The aviation sector contributes 2% of global CO2 emissions, with projections suggesting these could triple by 2050 without policy intervention. While Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) are the primary current solution, the report argues that the term is imprecise and that relying solely on biofuels would require quadrupling global production by 2030 and quintupling it by 2040, posing severe risks to land use, biodiversity, and food security. To meet projected global energy demands of 15.9 quads in 2030 and 21.5 quads in 2050, the report advocates for a shift toward scalable zero-emission fuels (SZEFs)—including hydrogen and synthetic fuels created via direct air capture (DAC)—and electric propulsion. It provides specific policy recommendations for the U.S. and EU, including RD&D investments, carbon intensity standards, and the phasing out of free emission allowances.

The analysis finds that 236 counties in 21 US states face cancer risks exceeding the EPA's one-in-a-million threshold due to oil and gas pollution, affecting nearly 14 million people. The report identifies benzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde as the primary drivers of this risk, accounting for 96% of the estimated cancer risk. It highlights that the population living in high-risk counties increased from 9 million in 2016 to 14 million in 2022, primarily due to industry growth. The report argues that implementing proven methane-reduction technologies, such as leak detection and repair and the replacement of gas-driven pneumatic equipment, would also significantly reduce toxic hazardous air pollution.

A survey of over 6,000 respondents in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland reveals strong public support (90% or higher) for regulating methane leaks and equipment standards in the oil and gas industry, including for EU suppliers. While 68% of respondents recognize that atmospheric methane concentrations are increasing and 62% view it as a major climate problem, there is significant confusion regarding the composition of natural gas, with only 42% knowing methane is its largest component. Word associations vary by country; for instance, in Italy, methane and natural gas are viewed as synonyms and are not strongly associated with greenhouse gases.

The European Union's projected hydrogen demand is expected to rise from 8.3 Mtpy to over 60 Mtpy by 2050, with the World Energy Council estimating that 50% of this demand must be met through imports from regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the U.S. To ensure these imports are climate-beneficial, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) advocates for a certification system that measures greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the entire value chain—including production, storage, transport, and conversion—rather than focusing solely on production facilities. The document highlights a regulatory gap, noting that the Gas Package's delegated act for GHG emissions methodology is not planned until 31 December 2024, which lags behind current market activities and Memoranda of Understanding. CATF recommends that the EU adopt a technology-inclusive approach covering renewable and low-carbon hydrogen (including blue hydrogen), incorporate stringent methane leakage criteria, and align its methodology with the Methane Regulation's monitoring, reporting, and verification requirements by 2027.

The European Union faces a significant hydrogen supply gap, with demand projected to rise from 8.3 million tonnes per year to over 60 million tonnes by 2050, necessitating imports from regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the USA. The Clean Air Task Force argues that current certification efforts are often voluntary or too narrow, focusing only on production plants rather than the full value chain. To avoid market uncertainty and investment risks, the document recommends that the EU's 'Gas Package' and subsequent delegated acts establish a technology-neutral certification methodology. This methodology must employ a full life-cycle analysis (LCA) that includes upstream methane leaks, transport, storage, and distribution to ensure genuine greenhouse gas reductions.

The document argues for the necessity of federally funded monitoring networks to track mercury in air, water, and wildlife, and to modernize air quality monitoring in the U.S. It highlights the health risks of methylmercury, the impact of global emissions and climate change on U.S. deposition, and the need for high-resolution air quality data in overburdened communities to address disparities in pollution exposure.

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases remains intact following the West Virginia v. EPA decision, specifically regarding at-the-source technological controls for methane. The author advocates for a 65% reduction in methane emissions from the US oil and gas sector through measures such as frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR) inspections and a ban on routine flaring of associated gas.

The policy brief outlines a proposed framework for a German national carbon management strategy, emphasizing the necessity of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture (DAC) to meet 2045 climate goals. It suggests five pillars: setting clear quantitative targets, prioritizing hard-to-abate sectors like cement and refineries, engaging civil society, developing shared CO2 transport infrastructure, and fostering international cooperation, particularly within the EU and with countries like Norway and Denmark.

The Supreme Court's ruling in West Virginia v. EPA limits the EPA's ability to use 'generation shifting' as a basis for emission standards but preserves the agency's authority to mandate specific pollution control technologies. The decision also expands the 'major questions doctrine,' which may hinder federal agencies from addressing novel environmental problems without explicit congressional authorization.

The document outlines a pathway to reduce U.S. oil and gas methane emissions by 65% using mature technologies and standards already employed in states like Colorado and New Mexico. It advocates for strengthening EPA regulations to include frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR) and a total ban on routine flaring. Additionally, it supports the Build Back Better Act's Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP) as a complementary financial incentive. The author asserts that these measures would save society $13 billion annually by 2025, prevent millions of tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from entering the atmosphere, and create approximately 220,000 total jobs without negatively impacting drilling activity.

A broad industry-NGO coalition is calling for the EU to introduce a minimum quota of 6% sustainable and scalable hydrogen fuels by 2030 within the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. The coalition argues that the current proposal fails to guarantee the competitiveness of e-fuels and risks promoting cheaper, unsustainable alternatives. They emphasize that the maritime sector requires clear targets and incentives to move away from fossil fuels and establish a scalable global market for zero-carbon fuels.

The Netherlands aims to reduce industrial GHG emissions by 59% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050. The government employs a 'carrot-and-stick' approach, using a National CO2 Tax as a floor price and the SDE++ subsidy scheme to support low-carbon technologies. CCS is currently prioritized as a cost-effective transition technology, with projects like Porthos nearing final investment decisions. Hydrogen strategy involves a transition from grey to blue and eventually green hydrogen, supported by plans for a national 'hydrogen backbone' utilizing existing gas infrastructure. However, the report notes that current policy is insufficient to enable gigawatt-scale green hydrogen projects, and the SDE++ scheme tends to favor mature technologies over long-term innovation.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) outlines four primary criteria for successful clean hydrogen hubs: minimizing greenhouse gas intensity across the production value chain, prioritizing hard-to-abate end-use sectors, committing to environmental justice and community engagement, and delivering immediate local environmental benefits. These recommendations are directed at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) following the authorization of $8 billion under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to establish at least four regional hubs.

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential for decarbonising foundational industries like cement, iron, steel, and chemicals, which account for approximately one-fifth of total emissions. While some national initiatives exist in the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, the author argues that a centralized EU strategy is needed to resolve cross-border transport issues, close a projected €10 billion funding gap, and address a storage capacity deficit where available space by 2030 may only meet half of the captured CO2 volume. The proposed strategy would include setting milestone targets, developing strategically placed storage sites, and creating a regulatory platform for CO2 transport infrastructure.