To scale differentiated gas markets, we need trust, transparency, and transactability.
Trust
Credible data is the key to unlocking differentiated gas transactions through the verifiable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting metrics of individual companies and for nationwide greenhouse gas reporting.
Regulators, investors, and other stakeholders must have confidence in emissions data the natural gas value chain utilizes and publicizes to make differentiation claims and policy and investment decisions.
This data should be verified by independent third parties, not just by industry or environmental non-governmental organizations, or be made public in open-source, transparent data platforms.
Buyers and sellers of differentiated gas must identify and collaborate with third parties and governments, where necessary, to validate certification-based emission measurements and practices.
Transparency
The United States can demonstrate to the world its commitment to leading in global methane emissions reductions by building a world-class, nationwide methane emissions measurement program. This program should adhere to the highest degrees of transparency and adopt a nationwide, basin-specific measurement-based approach, which will enable regional and national data.
Rapidly scaling cost-effective technology solutions and collaborative projects specifically focused on measuring and monitoring methane emissions must combine the spatial coverage afforded by periodic plane and satellite measurement with comprehensive temporal coverage at selected sites or regions.
The natural gas supply chain must endeavor to understand the measurement capabilities of various solutions, pilot and deploy technologies to measure emissions, and create a company or segment specific baseline emissions measurement against which to compare future reductions.
Transactability
There is an opportunity to create a common currency that customers can buy and sell products based on digitally verified attributes of methane emissions data. This common currency must be interoperable across multiple systems, which requires developing standard, secure certification processes to transform environmental attributes into high-value assets for financial transactions and market products.
Utilizing digital solutions to create verified systems, consumers and stakeholders can validate the environmental attributes of differentiated gas and facilitate transparent transactions.