About the fossil fuels hub

The CCAC’s seven Hubs address agriculture, cooling, fossil fuel, heavy-duty vehicles, household energy, waste and national planning. Through these Hubs, the CCAC aims to advance action on SLCPs mitigation in key sectors. For more information about the Hubs, visit the About the Hubs page.

The Fossil Fuels Hub brings together governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations along with private sector leaders to promote significant reductions in methane and black carbon emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Reducing SLCP emissions from fossil fuels

An estimated 122 Mt of methane was emitted by the fossil fuel sector (oil, gas, and coal) in 2010, approximately 37% of total anthropogenic methane emissions. This is projected to increase to 142Mt by 2030. If all current technological options are deployed (maximum technically feasible scenario) 2030 methane emissions could decrease by 101 Mt (-71%). To be consistent with 1.5 ̊C scenarios, by 2030 methane from the fossil fuel sector needs to be reduced by at least 65% (55% - 75%) compared to 2010 levels. Up to 80% of oil and gas measures and up to 98% of coal measures are low or negative cost. By 2030 reductions from the sector could avoid 0.14 ̊C of warming and prevent 151,460 premature deaths.

Leadership

The Fossil Fuel Hub is co-led by Colombia, European Commission, Norway, and United States. Co-leadership by countries ensures government engagement and ownership of the solutions. Co-leads provide valuable insights into the policy process to help ensure implementation is practical from a national perspective.

The Fossil Fuel Leadership Group consists of both state and non-state members that provide guidance and expertise, and connect the Hub to activities underway beyond the CCAC.

  • States: Cambodia, Canada, Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria
  • Non-States: CHRE, CATF, EDF, IEA, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, UNECE, World Bank, WMO

 

Goals

To achieve 45% emissions reductions in methane emissions over estimated 2015 levels by 2025 and 60-75% reductions by 2030.

Action to achieve these goals:

  • Advocate for governments to prioritize methane and black carbon reductions from the fossil fuel sector
  • Facilitate networking amongst governments, oil companies and expert organizations to provide assistance, guidance, and lessons-learned on methane and black carbon management. 
  • Deliver training and webinars on the major methane emissions sources; mitigation options; measurement, monitoring and reporting (MRV) techniques; policy, legislative/regulatory and financing approaches to achieve necessary mitigation outcomes.  
  • Develop communications materials and activities to raise awareness amongst policymakers on technically and economically feasible mitigation opportunities. 
  • Explore the potential for increased global action on coal mine methane among partners and leverage partners who can provide technical resources and capacity building. 
  • Support governments seeking to regulate fossil methane and black carbon
  • Provide emissions profiles for the sector and encourage all partners to measure and report their methane and black carbon emissions (direct and fugitive).  
  • Support new regulatory approaches that require leak detection and repair, zero or low emission equipment and controllers, and mandate near-zero or low-emission operations.
  • Examine innovative regulations, including methane pricing or markets, and innovative financing. 
  • Facilitate peer-to-peer support & technical assistance for national/sub-national regulations and policies. 
  • Coordinate with donors and international funding institutions, with focus on policy development, MRV, and financing methane and black carbon reductions in the sector. 
  • Eliminate routine flaring and promote efficiency for unavoidable flares 
  • Collaborate with the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative and raise public awareness. 
  • Work with companies to address market barriers through new financing approaches and strategies, including pricing, market, and other instruments. 
  • Promote knowledge transfer of technologies and good practice, and the adoption of best practices. 

Activities

Location of activities

  • Global
  • Africa
    • Gabon
      • Libreville
    • Ivory Coast
      • Abidjan
    • Nigeria
      • Abuja
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • Mexico
  • West Asia
    • Iraq

Description of activities

Workstream | Fossil Fuels
Ongoing
Global Methane Alliance
The Global Alliance to Significantly Reduce Methane Emissions in the Oil and Gas Sector by 2030 or Global Methane Alliance brings together governments, financing institutions, international...
Workstream | Fossil Fuels
Ongoing
The CCAC Oil & Gas Methane Partnership
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition created a voluntary initiative to help companies reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. The Oil & Gas Methane Partnership was launched at the UN...
Workstream | Fossil Fuels
Ongoing
Oil and Gas Methane Science Studies
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and European Commission are working together on a series of peer-reviewed...
Oil & gas methane study

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Achievements to date

Thanks the CCAC’s work, a growing number of international oil and gas companies are taking voluntary steps to integrate methane management in their operations and working with partners to raise the issue across the entire gas supply chain. Industry has also created its own platforms, like the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), and the Methane Guiding Principles (MGP). These developments have led CCAC partners to promote wider endorsement of ambitious targets from governments and industry. 

Key achievements include:   
  

  • 62 companies, with assets on five continents and representing 30 percent of the world’s oil and gas production, have joined the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership and committed to systematically survey and report their participating operations for the 'core' methane emission sources. 
  • The new Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) Reporting Framework 2.0 was adopted and will serve as the gold standard for methane reporting by oil and gas companies 
  • Surveys for leaks from 9 core sources have been completed at over 50 operations in 9 countries. 
  • Technology demonstrations in Mexico and Colombia helped reduce black carbon emissions. Follow up measurement campaigns by Clearstone Engineering in 8 sites in Colombia identified cost-effective flaring mitigation opportunities. Emissions reductions of 4,065 tonnes of black carbon and 3,869 kilotonnes of greenhouse gases could be achieved.   
  • 27 knowledge resources were developed and 10 Technical Guidance documents to address 'core' methane emissions sources were updated following a public consultation. 
  • The Global Methane Alliance was launched at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit 2019. Countries that join the Alliance commit to include methane reduction targets from the oil and gas sector in their NDCs. 
  • We are helping Mexico and Nigeria implement national methane regulations.  

Related news

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Contacts

Denise San Valentin,
Programme Management Officer
secretariat [at] ccacoalition.org

Meet our experts

Pollutants addressed

Black carbon
Methane

Partners & Actors

Lead Partner: A Coalition partner with an active role in coordinating, monitoring and guiding the work of an initiative.

Implementer: A Coalition partner or actor receiving Coalition funds to implement an activity or initiative.

Partners (14)

European Commission
Lead
Netherlands
Lead
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
Lead, Implementer
Nigeria
Lead, Implementer
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Lead, Implementer
Argentina
Implementer
Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP)
Implementer
Clean Air Task Force
Implementer
Colombia
Implementer
Canada
Mexico
Norway
United Kingdom
United States of America

Partners (14)

European Commission
Lead
Netherlands
Lead

Resources

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