Methane emissions reduction – A report on international policy and technology insights for the Australian fossil fuel sector

Rennie was commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) to provide a report, ‘International policy and technology insights for the Australian fossil fuel sector’, that compares methane regulation in Australia with seven other jurisdictions.

This research report considers policies, regulations and technologies at national and subnational levels across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and China in identifying and implementing policies and technologies to curb methane emissions in the fossil fuels sector.

The report recommends three key actions for Australia to address current gaps:

  1. Methane reduction targets – specific to the gas and coal industries (supporting a national methane target), considering both input and output targets, aligned to a 1.5°C pathway.

  2. Methane emissions regulations and price signals – a national combination of prescriptive emissions standards for equipment and practices (including monitoring, reporting and verification), and clear price signals that drive additional industry investment beyond what is mandatory.

  3. Collaboration – government and industry partnerships, both nationally and internationally building upon the Global Methane Pledge, to support innovative and efficient solutions.

This report was co-released by the ACF alongside the results from its joint field investigation with the global non-profit Clean Air Task Force. The initiative used methane cameras to measure gas leaks from coal mines and gas facilities around Australia. The state-of the-art technology has revealed the previously invisible climate change impact of gas and coal production in Australia for the first time at this scale.

Read the Rennie executive summary here: International policy and technology insights for the Australian fossil fuel sector - Executive Summary

Read the final Rennie report here: International policy and technology insights for the Australian fossil fuel sector - Full Report

Read the ACF media release here: https://www.acf.org.au/methane-camera-reveals-widespread-potent-gas-leaks

For further information, please contact Arvind Sharma at asharma@rennieadvisory.com.au

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