30 April 2015: A two-part workshop on carbon management, organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Saudi Aramco, focused on methane emissions and mitigation in the oil and gas sector, as well as the adverse social and economic impacts of mitigation measures (response measures).

The event, titled ‘International Experts Workshops on Carbon Management and Its Implications,’ took place from 27-30 April 2015, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It included: the First Global Methane Initiative (GMI) for Oil and Gas Sector Workshop and Exhibition in the Middle East, from 27-28 April; and the International Experts Workshop on the Adverse Social and Economic Impacts of Mitigation Measures, from 29-30 April. The GMI workshop was organized in partnership with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC). The two events attracted approximately 200 and 50 participants, respectively, from government, private sector, academia and international organizations.

Issues discussed during the GMI workshop included: operational safety and energy security achieved through methane emissions management; flaring minimization activities in Saudi Arabia; methane mitigation opportunities; methane emissions inventory experiences from the Middle East; and methane emissions detection and measurement techniques, equipment and costs. Participants also heard presentations focusing on case studies from Saudi Arabia and the US, among others. The workshop concluded with a fieldtrip to the Saudi Aramco Engineering Solutions Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

The workshop on the adverse impacts of mitigation measures, which aimed to advance understanding on ways to increase related resilience, featured case studies focusing on vulnerabilities and options to address them in different sectors of the economy, including tourism, energy and agriculture.

Noting the need for an inclusive international climate change agreement and the importance of adaptation, Khalid Abuleif, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, who chaired the response measures workshop, stressed that response measures relate to the economic and social components of sustainable development, which in turn is among the key objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

During the closing session, which centered on addressing gaps in progress on response measures, speakers noted, inter alia: the importance of determining the impact of domestic or international mitigation measures; that only a few non-Annex I Parties to the UNFCCC have provided information on their specific needs and concerns; and that there is a lack of established mechanisms for analyzing response measures. Many participants stressed there was a need for a mechanism or platform to address response measures and implement safeguards. [GMI Workshop and Exhibition Website] [IISD RS Coverage of the International Experts Workshops on Carbon Management and its Implications] [IISD RS Summary of the Experts Workshops]