Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme
Moving from pledges to action
Decreasing fossil fuel demand will not occur fast enough to limit warming to 1.5 °C. Targeted actions to tackle methane emissions from fossil fuel production and use – such as by eliminating routine venting and flaring and repairing leaks – are essential to meeting global climate goals and to preventing irreversible climate tipping points.
The Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme (FFRP) provides tailored support to countries to take immediate action to cut methane emissions from their oil, gas, and coal sectors.
What is the Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme?
With methane emissions continuing to rise around the world – contributing to warming and leading to devastating impacts on both the planet and human health – there is an urgent need to work with developing countries to put in place tangible and achievable methane reduction strategies and plans.
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) have a successful track record of providing fossil fuel policy and regulatory support to developing country partners including Nigeria, Iraq, and Colombia. As the Secretariat for the Global Methane Pledge the CCAC plays a key role in galvanizing further progress towards reaching the goal of collectively reducing methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
Developing countries make up two thirds of the top methane emitters in the energy sector. As new fossil fuel methane import regulations come online and satellite technologies increase emissions transparency, many developing countries are seeking support in reducing methane from fossil fuels. With the creation of the Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme, the CCAC and CATF can immediately address regulatory and capacity gaps to support countries in developing the regulatory capacity required for fast action on methane emissions.
How will the Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme work?
The Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme will support up to 20 developing country governments from mid-2024 to mid-2027, with tailored support for capacity development, regulatory frameworks, and enforce compliance with existing frameworks.
Working on behalf of the CCAC, CATF will implement projects focused on methane abatement policies and regulations, following a rigorous assessment, approval, and monitoring process for each project.
Projects will be developed based on requests for support received from ODA-eligible national governments. Funding support will be evaluated per national government request, depending on the size of the industry and country ambition.
The FFRP will not provide funding or direct support to private sector stakeholders in the fossil fuel sector, or provide funding support which may result in new or extended fossil fuel operations.
$260B
Immediate, targeted methane abatement in the fossil fuel sector can prevent nearly 1 million premature deaths due to ozone exposure, 90 million tonnes of crop losses due to ozone and climate changes, and about 85 billion hours of lost labor due to heat exposure by 2050, providing roughly $260 billion in direct economic benefits.
0.1°C
Rapid cuts in methane emissions from fossil fuels through targeted abatement measures – alongside deep cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – are essential to achieve global climate targets. By simply taking action on methane in the fossil fuel sector we can avoid up to 0.1 °C of warming by 2050 in higher fossil fuel demand scenarios.
75%
More than 75% of methane emissions from oil and gas operations and half of emissions from coal today can be abated with existing technology, often at low cost.
Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides an overview of the Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme, including benefits to countries, how the programme works, and examples of services to drive meaningful action.
Benefits
There is a clear and urgent need for a fast and effective programme that can help build capacity on methane abatement in developing countries, all while engaging local partners in project implementation.
Ability to provide countries with a coordinated mechanism with in-house technical experts that are available to respond to specific country requests.
Streamlined approach to approving projects, enabling responses to project requests that can be implemented immediately.
Growing national and regional capacity development and information sharing, leading to increased action on methane abatement on a global level, and contributing significantly to the goals of the Global Methane Pledge.
