If New Zealand approves a key recommendation by the UN’s high level expert group relating to methane, it will be significantly impacted.

Perhaps the most relevant advice by the group to the UN relates to methane. The distinction between fossil gas and biogenic methane is recognised and the very clear advice that coal and fossil gas exploration and new coal and fossil gas infrastructure is inconsistent with net zero claims.

The high level UN expert group, which includes New Zealand’s Dr Rod Carr, says methane emissions from the coal, oil and gas production energy sector should be reduced by at least 64 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels.

This is to be consistent with global modelled pathways that limit warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot, Dr Carr says.

“Targets must account for all greenhouse gas emissions, based on internationally approved measures of warming effects, and include separate targets for material non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions such as fossil methane and biogenic methane.

“Another particular interest in the New Zealand context is the group’s advice that the focus of non-state actor net zero claims must be on gross emissions reduction, not offsets.”

The UN high level expert group released its major report to the UN secretary-general António Guterres today at the UN climate talks, COP27, in Egypt.

The report cracks down on greenwashing and weak net zero pledges that threaten to undermine global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.

Carr says the report provides a crucial roadmap to bring integrity to net zero commitments by industry, financial institutions, cities and regions and to support a global, equitable transition to a sustainable future.

“It sets out ten practical recommendations to bring integrity, transparency and accountability to net zero by establishing clear standards and criteria.

“After consulting with hundreds of individuals and organisations and incorporating the latest research and science, the group has a roadmap to ensure net zero commitments by industry, financial institutions, cities and regions are ambitious, transparent and credible.

“The report calls on non-state actors to commit to immediate reductions in absolute emissions across its value chain with short, medium and long term science-based targets.

“Detailed transition plans must show immediate emissions reductions and capital expenditures must be aligned with these targets and the non-state actor’s net zero pathway.

“To prevent dishonest climate accounting and other actions designed to circumvent the need for deep decarbonisation, non-state actors must report publicly on their progress with verified information that can be compared with peers.”

The report puts down new redlines that are intended to prevent greenwashing. It recommends that non-state actors can no longer:

Claim to be net zero while continuing to build or invest in new fossil fuel supply. Similarly, deforestation and other environmentally destructive activities are disqualifying

Buy cheap credits that often lack integrity instead of immediately cutting their own emissions across their value chain. High-quality credits should only be used to balance out all remaining emissions once a non-state actor is meeting its short and medium-term targets

Focus on reducing the intensity of their emissions rather than their absolute emissions or tackling only a part of their emissions rather than their full value chain

Lobby to undermine ambitious government climate policies either directly or through trade associations or other bodies. Instead they must align their advocacy, as well as their governance and business strategies with their climate commitments. This includes aligning capital expenditures with net zero targets and linking executive compensation to climate action and proven results.

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