🌆 NOVEMBER 2023

Hi everyone,

We hope our U.S. colleagues enjoyed the Thanksgiving break and that everyone is fueled up for a busy month ahead. CATF’s COP28 delegation is headed off to Dubai this month to showcase our expertise, advance our mission, and push for a new understanding of the climate challenge via dozens of high-level engagements – from main stage panels and pavilion talks to private roundtables and bilateral meetings.

In addition to our COP28 engagement, CATF has also been producing an unprecedented amount of strategic thought leadership, analysis, research, and media relations content, publishing a whopping 23 blogs, 11 reports, and 8 press statements in November alone. This includes a suite of research and tools to provide insights on the best use cases for hydrogen to ensure it is climate beneficial. November also saw three years of CATF advocacy pay off, as the EU announced a strong Methane Regulation that could reduce global methane emissions by as much as 30%, and strong U.S. and Canadian methane regulations expected in the coming days.

If last month’s newsletter got lost in your inbox, you can find a copy here. And if you have any comments, questions, or feedback, please reach out to Kara Hunt.

Leadership, HR, and Project Management News & Updates

Human Resources

New Staff This Month

❗Check out the staff directory! You can find your coworkers’ information by last name, team, or vertical.

Present Your Work!

Please sign up to present on your work at an all-staff watercooler! These presentations can range from overviews of your team’s work to deep dives into a specific solution, to an explanation of the policy landscape in a specific region, or anything else you think may be interesting to staff. They do not need to be long or formal. It’s all about sharing your expertise and work with the CATF community! The link to sign up can be found in the CATF Team General channel under the “Forms” tab, and please free to sign up well in advance of your planned presentation date.

COP Corner

CATF experts head to COP28 this week! Ahead of the global climate conference, check out the latest blogs from across our programs and regional focus areas on what world leaders should focus on in Dubai to meet the climate challenge, each a key component of CATF’s communications strategy for COP28: 

• COP28: Climate in an age of permacrisis 
  CATF’s Executive Director Armond Cohen provides five key principles for effective climate action. 
• Getting serious about financing global decarbonization 
  Do we have enough money to transition our energy system? What are we missing? How can we close the gap?  
• From ambition to action: Assessing Europe’s climate leadership at COP28 
  Europe has long been a climate leader, but is still off track to meet climate targets. How can the EU take stock, recalibrate, and fortify its approach to the energy transition? 
• Methane mitigation at COP28: 4 criteria for evaluating methane commitments at the world’s largest climate summit 
  We expect to see a sharpened focus on methane action and finance at COP28. Here are four criteria to help evaluate the initiatives and commitments to cut methane pollution. 
• Can the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change truly be a forum for implementation? 
  The UNFCCC primarily makes use of symbolic value and political pressure to push country actors towards better outcomes, but that’s something that is beginning to change. Here’s how the UNFCCC can better set itself up for implementation.  
• COP28 and Africa: Getting real about climate action and its barriers in Africa 
  Three things to keep in mind if we want to get serious about climate action in Africa: the scale of the infrastructure challenge, the money, and development. 
• COP28: Global Stocktake proves Europe needs a new approach to climate action 
  What does a renewed vision for European climate action need to include? 
• From potential to reality: Assessing and addressing hurdles to nuclear energy at COP28 
  COP28 in Dubai offers a unique platform where experts, policymakers, and stakeholders will converge to address and explore solutions to unlock the full potential of nuclear energy.
• Bridging the climate gap at COP28 and beyond: How carbon capture can help  
  Governments around the globe will need to elevate their ambitions to narrow the gap toward climate goals quickly. They should look to carbon capture and storage, among other technologies, to help them do it. 
• Five priorities for the Middle East’s climate agenda  
  With the spotlight on the Middle East region as the UAE has the COP presidency, there is a unique opportunity for the region to put forward its climate actions and priorities. 
• How geopolitics will shape climate action in 2024: 4 trends  
  The world is changing rapidly and there are four geopolitical trends shaping the future of climate action that policymakers must take into account. 

Project Management

CRM/Salesforce for Programs 

• We have kicked off our work with our new external consultant who will be helping us with training and launch of Salesforce for Programs. Stay tuned for updates on our updated timeline and next steps!  

Project Management Resources Library 

• We have compiled various project management resources and templates, located here.  
• This month, we’re spotlighting our enhancing team collaboration resource.  

IT

Check out the new Email Distribution List Landing Page. This page shows all the teams and related information about the various email lists currently used by each team. 

Events & Meetings

What's Happening at CATF? 

Find out more by viewing the 2023 Events Master Calendar

• Reminder: Please add your speaking engagement, sponsorship, exhibit, webinar, or CATF-hosted event or meeting to the calendar. All staff should have access. 
• To start planning a new event or meeting, please review the Intake Form and FAQ. 

Events Spotlight

The Climate Equity Initiative (CEI) launched six reports between July and December 2023 covering a range of topics designed to provide a deeper understanding of perspectives, barriers, and successes among environmental justice communities. The six reports are:  

• Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey (BW Research and CEI - July 2023)  
• Understanding Disenfranchised and Underserved Communities (Grace Linczer, Author - September 2023) 
• Understanding Community Benefit Plans and the Potential for Change (Kara Hoving, Project Manager, BW Research, sponsored by CATF - 2023) 
• Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities (Kara Hoving, Project Manager, BW Research, sponsored by CATF - November 2023),  
• Community Benefits Agreements: Federal Guidelines, Case Studies, and Best Practices (Kara Hoving, Project Manager, Collaboration between CEI and Columbia University Climate School Masters Program - November 2023) 
• Community Health Impacts of Air Pollution in the U.S. (Pargoal Arab, Author - December 2023) 

In 2024, CEI will publish three major reports from over a year’s research with three communities: The Ironbound Community, St. James Parish & St. John the Baptist Parish, and Nenahnezad, Upper Fruitland, and Shiprock Chapters of the Navajo Nation. 

The reports were showcased in a series of webinars where hundreds of constituents joined. The last webinar concludes on December 19 (click to register). View previous webinars at the links below:  

• Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey 
• Understanding Disenfranchised and Underserved Communities 

Upcoming Events

⚠️ The events tracker is on Monday.com! View it here.

• November 30 – December 12: COP28 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 
• December 6-8: HackToTheRescue – Air Quality Hackathon (Virtual) 
• December 7-8: Methane Mitigation Summit (Houston, Texas) 
• December 10-11: Doha Forum (Doha, Qatar) 
• December 18-19: CATF Q4 Board Meeting (Washington, D.C.)

Upcoming CATF Holidays

See here for the full holiday lists for all countries.

• Friday, December 1: UAE National Day (United Arab Emirates) 
• Wednesday, December 6: Spain Constitution Day (Spain) 
• Friday, December 8: Immaculate Conception Day (Austria, Spain) 
• Monday, December 25: Christmas  
• Tuesday, December 26: St. Stephen’s Day/Day After Christmas/Boxing Day (Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, UK) 

All organizational updates →

Program & Regional Advocacy
Team Updates

Highlights

• The Methane Pollution Prevention team secured a major win in Europe with the agreement on a strong Methane Regulation! Thanks to three years of advocacy and educational efforts from CATF’s experts, this one piece of legislation could reduce global methane emissions by as much as 30%.   
• The Zero-Carbon Fuels team has conducted a suite of research and developed multiple tools to provide insight on the best use cases for hydrogen – which is produced today from fossil fuels.   
  • The Hydrogen Lifecycle Analysis tool provides insight into the potential emissions from various hydrogen production and transportation pathways, supporting effective decision-making around the best use cases of hydrogen and ensuring that it is truly climate beneficial. 
  • The paper, A Realistic Assessment of Hydrogen for Decarbonization, identifies a limited set of priority sectors for the use of low-carbon hydrogen based on a summary assessment of its production, transportation, and delivery costs. 
  • Electrolysis powered by low-carbon electricity is one of the main pathways to decarbonizing hydrogen production and CATF’s report finds that solid oxide (sometimes referred to as “high temperature”) electrolyzer cell systems could help meet the demand for clean hydrogen production. 
• The Zero-Carbon Fuels team also produced a report on a Roadmap for Deployment of EU Hydrogen Valleys, as well as a blog on how to make the European Hydrogen Bank more effective.  
• In the U.S., the Hubs team continued to produce educational content around the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program.  
  • Maggie Field provided an overview of the Community Benefits Plan component that all hub applicants were required to develop. Community Benefits Plans are meant to ensure hydrogen hub developers embody local priorities and provide benefits to workers, local communities, and disadvantaged communities. 
  • Ian Champ explored how the Midwest can take advantage of the Hydrogen Hubs program to decarbonize key sectors of its economy. 
• The Carbon Capture team released a new interactive map tracking the progression of geologic storage of CO2 in the U.S. through Class VI well applications and active Class VI wells.  
• In order to help standardize definitions around superhot rock energy, the Superhot Rock Energy team released a new glossary to increase accuracy and collaboration not only within the geothermal community, but also to other stakeholders assessing superhot rock’s market potential. 
• CATF co-hosted the launch of the Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment report in partnership with EPG Romania in Bucharest on November 23rd. The event gathered key stakeholders from the region, including industry, policymakers, academia, and the energy ministry from Romania. 
• The Advanced Nuclear Energy team provided an overview of lessons learned from the recently cancelled NuScale-UAMPS project.  
• Sonia Stoyanova and Kasparas Spokas explored how an electricity decarbonization strategy that aims for 24/7 carbon-free energy will allow Europe to deliver energy security, emission reductions, and economic growth. 
• The U.S. implementation team provided recommendations for states to capitalize on the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, as well as progress made since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act two years ago.  
• The Methane Pollution Prevention team participated in the seminar "Reducing Methane Emissions: The Key to Countering Global Warming in the Short Term," organized by the Andean Parliament in Quito, Ecuador. CATF addressed the pressing need of curbing methane emissions, emphasizing achievable reductions in the oil and gas and waste sectors through regulations and cost-effective practices. The trip to Ecuador also involved demonstrating the Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) technology with Petroecuador site managers and operators, Minister of Energy and Mines, and the Agency to help strengthen national capacity for methane emissions management in the oil and gas industry.  
• The EU Advocacy team hosted a webinar presenting the findings from cross-country public polling in Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the UK to explore where public perception stands on carbon capture and storage, superhot rock energy, low-carbon hydrogen, and advanced nuclear energy. Read the summary blog here.
• New webpages! Check out the new Transportation Decarbonization program page, as well as the new Fusion Energy program page.  

All program & advocacy updates →

Full List of Publications This Month

Blogs

• COP28: Climate in an age of permacrisis – Armond Cohen 
• The Midwestern clean hydrogen economy: Potential for community- and climate-beneficial industry decarbonization – Ian Champ 
• Mastering geothermal energy with CATF’s glossary: A path to increased accuracy and collaboration – Ann Garth 
• From ambition to action: Assessing Europe’s climate leadership at COP28 – Lee Beck and Rowan Emslie 
• Getting serious about financing global decarbonization – Kasparas Spokas and Kurt Waltzer 
• Methane mitigation at COP28: 4 criteria for evaluating methane commitments at the world’s largest climate summit – Jonathan Banks 
• Interactive map of Class VI Wells for geologic storage of carbon dioxide – Ben Grove 
• When is low-emission hydrogen truly low-emission? CATF’s new tool helps clear it up – Rocio Gonzalez Sanchez 
• The need for deep uncertainty analysis in energy policy and planning – Leslie Abrahams, Michael Dioha, Mikenna Montgomery 
• It takes a community: Hydrogen hubs and Community Benefits Plans explained – Maggie Field 
• Can the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change truly be a forum for implementation? – Rebecca Tremain 
• States, start your engines: The race for Climate Pollution Reduction Grants is on! – John Carlson and Holly Reuter 
• 24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock –Sonia Stoyanova and Kasparas Spokas 
• COP28 and Africa: Getting real about climate action and its barriers in Africa – Lily Odarno 
• The European Hydrogen Bank – Europe’s latest effort to enable the continent’s hydrogen revolution – Jakob Petutschnig 
• Lessons learned from the recently cancelled NuScale-UAMPS project – Carlos Leipner, Jon-Michael Murray, Andrew Maxwell, and Marcelo Botrel 
• COP28: Global Stocktake proves Europe needs a new approach to climate action – Lee Beck 
• From potential to reality: Assessing and addressing hurdles to nuclear energy at COP28 – Carlos Leipner 
• Tracking progress: Europe’s 2023 carbon capture projects – Codie Rossi 
• Bridging the climate gap at COP28 and beyond: How carbon capture can help – Ben Longstreth 
• Polling shows that Europe is ready for clean firm energy technologies – Sara Albares and Marilen Martin 
• Five priorities for the Middle East’s climate agenda – Olivia Azadegan 
• How geopolitics will shape climate action in 2024: 4 trends – Lee Beck and David Yellen 

Press Statements

• Clean Air Task Force to host Zero-Carbon Future at COP28 in Dubai, UAE 
• EU agrees to regulation that will dramatically cut EU and global methane pollution 
• New CATF report finds that high-temperature hydrogen-producing electrolyzers are ready to deploy, but production needs to scale 
• Clean Air Task Force leads diverse stakeholders to urge for critical reforms to Scope 2 Guidance of Greenhouse Gas Protocol 
• EU Parliament upholds CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles 
• To maximize climate benefits, CATF finds, use low-carbon hydrogen where it will deliver significant emissions reductions 
• In a bold step forward, Michigan passes clean energy standard, committing to 100% clean energy portfolio by 2040 

Reports

• A Roadmap for the Deployment of EU Hydrogen Valleys 
• A Preliminary Techno-Economic Model of Superhot Rock Energy 
• Impact of EU Methane Import Performance Standard 
• Understanding Disenfranchised and Underserved Communities in the U.S. 
• Solid Oxide Electrolysis: A Technology Status Assessment 
• Hydrogen Production via Electrolysis 
• Hydrogen for Decarbonization: A Realistic Assessment 
• Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment 
• Carbon Capture and Storage and the National Energy and Climate Plans 
• Pledges to Plans: Principles & Components of Durable Energy Transitions 
• Survey on Community Benefits and an Overview of Community Benefits Plans and Agreements 

LETTERS

• Open Letter: Call to support Article 18 of the Net Zero Industry Act 
• Joint Letter: Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance Modernization 

TESTIMONY

• Sam Bailey Testimony Before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Public Hearing on Hydrogen Hubs 

Comms Corner

How to Create Presentations that Work

The comms team has put together a helpful guide with six ways to make a great presentation. This guide can be used for events, demonstrations, and large and small meetings. Check it out here!  

CATF in the News

• A Wall Street Journal roundtable on the utility of carbon capture and storage featured Ben Longstreth where he provided CATF’s perspective through an unconventional format (entirely written back-and-forth on Google docs) 
• The Economist provided an overview of COP28, with reality check quotes from Armond Cohen on global finance for the energy transition and the phase out of fossil fuels.  
• Brandon Locke was quoted in both The Guardian and Bloomberg on the impact of the EU’s Methane Regulation on curbing emissions not only in Europe, but also globally.  
• Ben Longstreth provided important perspective on the need for carbon capture and storage in a Financial Times piece on Chevron’s carbon capture project.  
• Jonathan Banks commented on Global Methane Pledge progress for Climate Home News.  
• The Latin Times featured CATF’s recent work on reducing methane pollution in Latin America, including coverage of CATF’s workshop at Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week.  
• Armond Cohen and Lee Beck discussed the potential of COP28 in Energy Monitor.  

View all press coverage →

Staff Pet Photo of the Month

European Communications Director Rowan Emslie and family rescued Celia, a stray from Brandenburg who now lives in Brussels. She used to have a very quiet life but is now incessantly stalked by his daughter Enola (friendship pending). 

If you have a pet you’d be willing to share, please submit a pet photo for the newsletter! You can do so by filling out this Teams Form.

That’s all for this month. If you made it this far — thanks for reading!