4 April 2016
Global Methane Forum, Related Events Explore Methane Abatement Strategies
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The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) co-hosted the Global Methane Forum, which focused on international methane reduction, highlighting methane reduction technologies, policies and opportunities, and addressing finance issues.

The Forum was directly followed by the CCAC second annual Science Policy Dialogue on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), the CCAC Municipal Solid Waste Initiative Workshop and the CCAC Working Group Meeting.

global_methane_forum1 April 2016: The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) co-hosted the Global Methane Forum, which focused on international methane reduction, highlighting methane reduction technologies, policies and opportunities, and addressing finance issues. The Forum was directly followed by the CCAC second annual Science Policy Dialogue on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), the CCAC Municipal Solid Waste Initiative Workshop and the CCAC Working Group Meeting.

The Forum, which took place in Washington, DC, US, from 28-30 March 2016, allowed participants to share and learn from the GMI and CCAC country partners, as well as representatives from the public and private sector. Participants addressed: methane mitigation following the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC; ways to overcome financial challenges to methane mitigation; and various approaches to methane policies.

The Forum also included technical sessions on: biogas, including agricultural sources, municipal solid waste and municipal wastewater systems; coal mines; and oil and natural gas systems.

In his keynote address, Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), described managing methane emissions from energy-related extractive activities as “a win-win for delivering on the global promises on climate change and sustainable development.” Noting that currently, methane emissions are not properly monitored and reported, comprehensively abated or used for economic benefit, Friis Bach urged giving “proper attention” to methane issues as this “could quickly lead to significant climate benefits.”

On 31 March 2016, directly following the Global Methane Forum, the CCAC held its second annual Science Policy Dialogue on SLCPs. Organized by the CCAC Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), the Science Policy Dialogue considered ways for science to catalyze action to reduce SLCPs and support policy implementation. The Science Policy Dialogue aimed to: share knowledge on current SLCP science; improve interaction between the SAP, other experts, CCAC partners and others; and identify a priority list of gaps and needs for integrating SLCP actions into science-based policy making, focusing in particular on accounting for SLCP emissions reduction benefits, including how SLCP emissions reduction can contribute the climate objective of “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C.”

Along with black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and tropospheric (ground-level) ozone, methane is a powerful SLCP. It has been described as a ‘super pollutant’ as it causes much more warming than carbon dioxide (CO2). The 100-year global warming potential of methane is about 25 times greater than that of CO2 and, measured over a 20-year period, it is 84 times more potent. About 60% of global methane emissions come from human activities. The main sources of anthropogenic methane emissions include oil and gas industries, agriculture, landfills, wastewater treatment and coal mines.

The Global Methane Forum and the Science Policy Dialogue were followed by the CCAC Municipal Solid Waste Initiative Workshop on reducing SLCPs from the solid waste sector in Latin American countries from 31 March to 1 April (by invitation only), and the CCAC Working Group Meeting on 1 April.

GMI is an international public-private initiative that advances cost effective, near-term methane abatement and recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source in four sectors: agriculture; coal mines; municipal solid waste; oil and gas systems; and wastewater.

CCAC is a global effort that unites governments, civil society and private sector, committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate in next few decades by reducing short-lived climate pollutants across sectors. The CCAC Secretariat is hosted by UNEP, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. [CCAC Global Methane Forum Webpage] [Global Methane Forum Agenda] [CCAC SAP Annual Science Update 2015] [CCAC SAP Background Paper on Short-lived Climate Pollutants in Countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions] [CCAC SAP Background Paper on the Role of SLCPs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals] [CCAC Municipal Solid Waste Initiative Workshop Webpage] [UNECE Press Release] [Fast-Tracking Climate Action: Op-ed by Achim Steiner and Christiana Figueres] [GMI Website] [CCAC Website]


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