Page 6 - NorthAmOil Week 47 2021

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