The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the global platform of the leading gas producing nations, has urged the international community gathered in Glasgow, UK, for UNFCCC COP26 to look for energy options that achieve the right balance between the post-COVID-19 economic and social requirements and climate actions, particularly for the most vulnerable regions of the world.
Yury Sentyurin, Secretary General of the GECF who led the Forum’s delegation, said: “Given technology’s pivotal role in transforming the energy industry, we recommend that the COP26 negotiations are underpinned by technology transfer to decarbonize the energy sector, including the decarbonization technologies of the gas industry.”
Gas is the cleanest of all fossil fuels, and its abundance, flexibility, and affordability makes it an ideal fuel of choice, particularly for emerging and developing economies, many of them in highly populated regions of Asia and Africa. Latest GECF figures estimate natural gas to become the most used source of energy in the world by 2050, upping its share from 23% today to 27%.
“Ensuring access to competitive and reliable energy sources is of paramount importance for a sustained economic recovery,” noted Sentyurin, whose organization is an Observer to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the organizer of the Conference of the Parties (COP).
The official also outlined the steps being taken by the GECF Member Countries, from technology and innovation to research and development, in order to cement the role of natural gas as a solution for a balanced energy transition.
“Our Environmental Knowledge and Solutions framework has been initiated as a collaborative platform with designed measures to build capabilities and exchange expertise, specifically regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation practices. The GECF Member Countries have placed climate action at the forefront of their priorities,” he added.
Source: GECF
