Page 6 - NorthAmOil Week 47 2021
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NorthAmOil                                    COMMENTARY                                          NorthAmOil




       US, Canada, Mexico talk up





       joint methane strategy plans







       The first trilateral North American summit in five years ended with a pledge

       from Biden, Trudeau and Lopez Obrador to establish a North American

       strategy for methane and carbon emissions



        NORTH AMERICA    US President Joe Biden, Mexican President  Building on the Global Methane Pledge
                         Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian  This joint initiative follows the launch of the
       WHAT:             Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a joint  Global Methane Pledge, a joint US-EU plan to
       Mexico, the US and   pledge to create a North American strategy on  cut global methane emissions by at least 30%
       Canada intend to   methane and black carbon emissions last week.  on 2020 levels by 2030. That pledge was first
       join forces to reduce   The pledge came during a trilateral North  unveiled by the US and the EU in September,
       greenhouse gas (GHG)   American summit – the first such gathering in  and it was formally launched at the COP26 UN
       emissions.        five years – held in Washington, DC. The three  Climate Change Conference earlier this month.
                         leaders met in the US capital in a bid to revital-  So far, more than 100 countries, including Mex-
       WHY:              ise mutual co-operation, despite Mexican and  ico and Canada, have signed on to the pledge.
       The White House says   Canadian opposition to certain policies of the   Methane emissions are seen as the “low-hang-
       this strategy will focus on   Biden administration.    ing fruit” of emissions reduction efforts, with
       reducing emissions in all   While no major breakthroughs were  methane leaks from energy infrastructure con-
       sectors, “especially oil   announced, the three leaders did commit to  sidered to be the cheapest and easiest sources of
       and gas.”         taking concrete actions in support of joint goals  methane to identify and fix. Given that meth-
                         relating to a variety of issues, including the coro-  ane’s heat-trapping potential is considerably
       WHAT NEXT:        navirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the fostering  higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO2), calls
       US political fights may   of competitiveness and regional responses to  for reducing methane emissions have taken on
       hamper the passage of a   migration. Among these pledges were several  new urgency as more countries begin to priori-
       proposed tax on methane   initiatives relating to the fight against climate  tise addressing climate change.
       emissions.        change, including a plan for formulating a joint   The Global Methane Pledge does not place
                         methane and black carbon strategy.   any obligations on its signatories to cut their
                           According to a White House statement, the  own emissions; rather, it states that they must
                         North American methane strategy will be aimed  support the global 30% reduction target. None-
                         at reducing methane emissions from all sectors,  theless, countries such as the US and Canada are
                         “especially oil and gas.” The three countries will  already taking steps at home to pursue methane
                         also focus on reducing black carbon from “diesel  emissions cuts. (Canada in particular has set
                         vehicles and engines, [gas] flaring, wood-burn-  a considerably more ambitious goal than the
                         ing appliances and shipping,” the statement said.  global 2030 target.)


























       P6                                       www. NEWSBASE .com                      Week 47   25•November•2021
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