Page 9 - NorthAmOil Week 41 2021

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Canada’s oil and gas
industry will be required
to go further and cut its
methane emissions by
75% compared with
2012 levels by 2030.

Canada signs up to Global Methane Pledge

CANADA CANADA has signed up to the Global Meth- In 2016, Canada set a target of reducing meth-
ane Pledge, which was jointly unveiled by the ane emissions from the oil and gas industry by
US and European Union last month. The pledge 40-45% below 2012 levels by 2025. It became
calls for the reduction of global methane emis- one of the first countries in the world to regulate
sions by at least 30% compared with 2020 levels methane emissions from the oil and gas industry
by 2030. at the national level, according to Environment
Canada was among 24 countries to announce and Climate Change Canada. The department
on October 11 that it was signing up to the pledge said achieving the 2025 goal was an important
during a ministerial meeting chaired by the US part of the Canadian government’s efforts to
and EU. This follows seven countries signing up meet its new Nationally Determined Contribu-
at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and tion of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
Climate in September, when the pledge was first sions by 40-45% by 2030.
unveiled. Last year, the government also launched the
The initiative will be formally launched at the Emissions Reduction Fund, which is expected Methane
World Leaders Summit at the 26th UN Climate to help achieve methane emissions reductions
Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK in beyond the official target. accounts for
November. Canada’s announcement came in the same
In a statement, Environment and Climate week that the International Energy Agency around 13% of
Change Canada said methane accounts for (IEA) warned in its World Energy Outlook that
around 13% of the country’s greenhouse gas Canada would remain among the biggest con- the country’s
(GHG) emissions. It went on to describe cutting sumers of energy per capita over the next 10 greenhouse gas
methane emissions as “one of the fastest and low- years even as policies ramp up to make the coun-
est cost ways to fight climate change”. try more energy-efficient. The agency estimated (GHG) emissions.
The pledge will have a particularly signifi- that Canadians used more than 300 gigajoules of
cant impact on Canada’s oil and gas industry. At energy per person last year – one of the highest
the October 11 ministerial meeting, Canadian per capita rates in the world and three times the
Minister of Environment and Climate Change global average. This was ahead of the US’ energy
Jonathan Wilkinson committed his country to consumption and almost twice that of the EU on
developing a plan to reduce methane emissions a per capita basis.
from oil and gas by at least 75% below 2012 lev- The IEA report did not provide a breakdown
els by 2030. His department said Canada was the of Canada’s energy use by source. However, BP
first and only country to support both the pledge has estimated that in 2020, 61% of energy used
and the 75% goal, adding that Ottawa’s approach in Canada was supplied by burning oil and gas,
would include regulations. while 25% came from hydroelectricity, 6% was
The new commitments build on Canada’s met with nuclear energy, 4% came from renew-
existing targets for curbing methane emissions. ables and 3.7% was supplied by burning coal.™

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