In recent years, China has paid great attention to control methane. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has said on several occasions that control over non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases, including methane, will become an important part of the efforts to combat climate change, and the next two to three years will be a key period to control non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gasafter carbon dioxide, accounting for about 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and about a quarter of global warming. Efforts to control methane are characterized by low cost of emission reduction, fast response and obvious synergetic benefit. Therefore, the control of methane emission is of great importance to the effective response to global climate change and the achievement of net zero emission of greenhouse gases.

The “China Methane Summit 2020” was held in Beijing from January 14 to 15, with the aim to support the formulation and implementation of policies for China’s methane emission reduction and utilization. The Summit is guided by theDepartment of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, co-hosted by China Methane Emission Reduction Cooperation Platform, Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Tsinghua University, CIFA of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and supported by Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (UK) (CIFF),CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd. and China Energy Network.

Zhao Hualin, Senior Official (Vice Minister Level) of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council and Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board for Key Large State-owned Enterprises under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Li Gao, Director of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Director of CIFA, Ke Ruihua, President of EDF, and Lei Hongpeng, Chief Representative of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (UK)China Office, delivered speeches at the summit. He Jiankun, Director of the Academic Committee of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Tsinghua University, Chairman of the Academic Committee of China Methane Emission Reduction Cooperation Platform, and Deputy Director of the National Climate Change Expert Committee of China, David T. Allen, Academician at the National Academy of Engineering and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Liu Wenge, Deputy Director of the Information Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Management (China Coal Information Institute), and Simone Landolina, Consultant on Partnerships and Innovation of International Energy Agency, delivered keynote speeches on methods for global climate governance, the scientific basis of methane and climate change, the current status and prospects of China’s coalbed methane (coal-mine gas), and methane emissions from the energy industry. Chen Buyu, Director of the Department of Climate Change of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, David T. Allen, Academician of the National Academy of Engineering and Professor of University of Texas at Austin, Chen Guangwei, Deputy General Manager of Energy Management and Environmental Protection Department of Sinopec Group, Gao Zhengqi, Principal Consultant on Investment of CNPC Assets Management Co., Ltd. and Kunlun Trust Co., Ltd., and Chairman of Tianjin Climate Exchange, were invited to talk about reducing methane emissions in the summit.

Two parallel sessions were also held during the summit, during one of which a round-table discussion and keynote speeches were carried out centering on “Dialogue on Methane Emissions Investment & Financing andIndustry Voluntary Actions”. Chaired by Ding Hui, Chief of the Division of General Affairs ofDepartment of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and the Environment, six guests made speeches on the “Dialogue on Methane Emissions Investment & Financing” and exchanged their ideas, including Ye Yanfei, Inspector of the Policy Research Bureau of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission(CBIRC), Chu Wen, Deputy Director of the Financial Research Department of the Taiyuan Central Sub-branch of the People’s Bank of China, Xu Dakang, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change of Shaanxi Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, Peng Zuogang, General Manager of the Credit Extension Management Department of Postal Savings Bank of China, Xia Lin, General Manager of the Inherent Business Department of Kunlun Trust Co., Ltd. and Mei Dewen, President of the Beijing Environmental Exchange.

The parallel session was chaired by Sun Yiting, Senior Financial Adviser of CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd. and Standing Member of CIFA. Five guests delivered keynote speeches around the “Industry Voluntary Action” during the session, including Zubin Bamji, Project Manager of the World Bank, Yu Zhijun, Deputy General Manager of CECEP Industrial Energy Conservation Co., Ltd., Liang Yisong, Director of Business Coordination and Development of BPChina, Sarah Khoo, Asia Lead, Gas and Power Market Development, Shell, and Liu Yao, Deputy General Manager of High Pressure Pipeline Network Branch of Beijing Gas Group.

Another parallel session was themed on “Technology and Regulation for Utilization and Emissions of Methane”. Five guests delivered keynote speeches on the theme of “Monitoring, Emission Reduction and Utilization of Methane in the Oil and Gas Industry at Home and Abroad”, including Zhou Aiguo, Vice General Manager of Quality Safety and Environmental Protection Department of CNPC, Ramon Alvarez, Vice Chief Scientist of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Sam Kotis, Vice President of EDF, Xue Sheng, Professor of Anhui University of Science and Technology, and Ma Libo, General Manager of Xingbian Fumin (Beijing) Clean Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Six guests delivered keynote speeches on the theme of “Monitoring and Utilization Technology for Methane” with the regard to methane monitoring in European Union, North America, Canada, Shanxi and other regions in China, including Xie Lei, Deputy Director of Shanxi Research Center of Ecological Environment, John Putnam, Environment Minister of Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado, Octavian Stamate, Counsellor of Climate Action and Energy, EU Delegation to China, Adrian Fernandez-Bremauntz, CEO of Climate Initiative Organization in Mexico, Jon Goldstein, Director of Laws and Regulations of Energy Programs, EDF, and James Diamond, Manager of Upstream Oil and Gas, Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Nearly 200 representatives from more than 150 domestic and foreign governments, universities, scientific research institutions, enterprises and non-governmental organizations presented at the summit, and carried out discussions on topics such as medium-and long-term methane emission reduction targets, methane control and utilization technology, and methane investment and finance mechanism in China’s energy industry. The 40 speakers invited to the summit are from international organizations such as the International Energy Agency and the World Bank, countries and regions such as the United States, Canada, Europe and Mexico, and companies such as BP and Shell, as well as China’s oil and gas, coal industries and financial institutions.