Tag: black carbon

Canada, US and Mexico sign MOU on Climate Change and Energy Collaboration

On February 12, 2016, the energy minister and energy secretaries from Canada, Mexico and the United States met for the North American Energy Ministers Meeting in Winnipeg, where the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Change and Energy Collaboration. The countries also announced a web platform where North American energy information can be accessed in one place. The MOU represents a step towards a continental energy strategy, under which Canada, Mexico and the US will collaborate and share information in six key areas:

  1. Sharing experience and knowledge in the development of reliable, resilient and low-carbon electricity grids.
  2. Modeling, deploying and accelerating innovation of clean energy technologies, including renewables.
  3. Exchanging information in order to improve energy efficiency for equipment, appliances, industries and buildings, including energy management systems.
  4. Exchanging information and promoting joint action to advance the deployment of carbon capture, use and storage.
  5. Identifying trilateral activities to further climate change adaptation and resilience.
  6. Sharing best practices and seeking methods to reduce emissions from the oil and gas sector, including methane and black carbon.

As noted above, the three countries have announced a web platform for sharing information on energy resources in North America. The North American Cooperation on Energy Information (NACEI) was initiated in 2014 and sought to develop resources for:

  1. comparing, validating, and improving respective energy import and export information;
  2. sharing publicly available geospatial information related to energy infrastructure;
  3. exchanging views and information on projections of cross-border energy flows; and
  4. harmonizing terminology, concepts and definitions of energy products.

With the launch of the NACEI, North American energy information is now available on one platform and includes:

  • Energy Trade Data: Data tables covering traded energy between the three countries, as well as a methodological guide explaining the attributes of each data source. A detailed cross reference of terminology and a common set of conversion factors are also available.
  • North American Energy Maps: A series of maps of energy infrastructure and a multi-layered interactive mapping site are available and will be augmented as additional GIS data is verified.
  • Energy Outlooks: Reports describing and comparing the outlooks for energy trade across the continent.

Further discussions on a continental energy strategy are expected when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with President Barack Obama in March 2016.

New Climate and Clean Air Coalition Moves to Reduce High-Potency GHGs

 
On April 24, 2012, a new international coalition – the 13-member Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) – approved its first initiatives to reduce emissions of highly potent greenhouse gases including methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The decision came at the CCAC’s first meeting, held in Stockholm on the sidelines of a larger ministerial meeting on sustainable development. Starting with seven members in February (US, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the UN Environment Program), CCAC recently added six new participants (Colombia, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, the European Commission and the World Bank). Australia, Korea, UK, Finland and Denmark attended the first CCAC meeting as observers.

On methane, CCAC members agreed to look for ways to work with the oil and gas industry to reduce emissions from leaks, venting and flaring, and to work with cities to reduce landfill methane emissions. The members also agreed to reduce black carbon, or soot, emissions from diesel engines which are the leading source of global black carbon emissions. The CCAC will also seek to cut emissions from inefficient old brick kilns, which are a major source of soot in developing nations. For HFCs, the coalition will look to fund efforts to accelerate deployment of more environmentally friendly alternatives.

While such programs may be relatively small compared with broader efforts to cut global GHG emissions, they could have a significant effect as the targeted GHGs account for about 30% of current climate impacts.

Norway and Sweden today each agreed to contribute $1.5 million to the coalition’s efforts, bringing total initial funding to $16.7 million. The US is the largest source of funding, providing $12.5 million over two years.