Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a new Observer Intergovernmental Organization to the UNFCCC, I would like to offer our sincere appreciation to the Polish government and the UNFCCC Secretariat for organizing this conference and for their excellent arrangement and warm hospitality.
The GECF is a gathering of gas producers which globally represents 70% of natural gas reserves, 45% of gas production, 64% of pipeline gas trade and 54% of LNG trade. The Forum’s Member Countries have recognized the important challenges posed by climate change and have welcomed efforts undertaken by the international community to deal with issues of environmental concern.
The GECF Global Gas Outlook projects that, given current and anticipated policy efforts, energy-related CO2 emissions will remain much higher than what is required to meet the Paris Agreement targets. It is only through initiatives such as this that the international community can expand dialogue and work to find more effective and flexible solutions to these significant global challenges.
The GECF actively contributes to the ongoing dialogue on greenhouse gas mitigation and sustainable development by preparing for the launch of the GECF climate initiative, which aims to strengthen actions and policies that reduce climate impacts from energy-related activities.
Enshrined in the GECF Heads of State Declarations, Long-Term Strategy, and Priority Objectives is the acknowledgement that natural gas, as the cleanest fossil fuel, has a vital role to play in the global energy mix and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
These values were recently echoed by the 2018 G20 Energy Ministers, who reached a consensus on the critical importance of natural gas and its capacity to expand significantly over the coming decades, supporting transitions towards lower-emission energy systems.
This endeavour emphasizes the critical role that GECF Member Countries – as the world’s most prominent and reliable suppliers of natural gas – have in facilitating technological progress and innovation, which will ensure our future ability to satisfy global energy needs while promoting fuel substitution against more carbon-intensive resources, complementing renewables, and improving energy efficiency in various sectors. Particularly, natural gas has emerged as a viable solution to reducing emissions from the transportation sector.
In this context, the establishment of the GECF Gas Research Institute is an opportunity to develop research and sharing of best practices for emission reductions in the gas industry.
The GECF would like to emphasize the need to implement balanced and pragmatic approaches that address global environmental challenges under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. There is no single pathway defining energy transitions, as the respective capabilities and resources of individual nations will continue to define their response measures to climate change.
The Forum will continue to promote and develop effective communication channels between producers and consumers, in favour of our long-term mutual interests, to support natural gas as a fuel of choice and feedstock for inclusive sustainable development.
Thank you.