Amid pressure from civil society to end fossil fuel production, Southeast Asia’s national oil producers banded together to emphasise the importance of reducing methane emissions instead.
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In a joint statement on Thursday, national oil and gas companies from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand said, “We believe that the energy sector in Southeast Asia can play a leading role in the region’s decarbonisation efforts by focusing on methane emissions reduction.” The Asean Centre for Energy, a Jakarta-based intergovernmental think tank, co-signed the statement.
The seven companies – specifically the Ministry of Mines and Energy Cambodia, Pertamina, Petronas, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, Philippine National Oil Company, Singapore LNG Corporation and PTT – committed to five actions that would address methane emissions in the region [see box].
Experts have said that reducing methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asia. Methane has 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and has been the focus of several major discussions at COP29, including a commitment by countries to cut methane emissions from food waste and a joint summit on methane emissions reduction hosted by the United States and China.
A ‘progressive, collaborative, inclusive’ approach to reducing methane emissions
Major oil and gas companies from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have agreed on the following actions to reduce methane emissions:
1. Develop activities in support of the Paris Agreement goals while recognising that national circumstances require tailored approaches.
2. Advocate for a just and inclusive energy transition through meaningful dialogues that align with the climate aspirations set by governments.
3. Collaborate across the Southeast Asian energy value chain to champion innovative solutions on methane emissions management.
4. Establish a Southeast Asian oil and gas sector methane emissions baseline, as early as 2025, to be followed by a quantifiable collective methane emissions reduction ambition by 2030.
5. Share practices and the region’s progress on decarbonisation and methane emissions.
Source: Asean Centre for Energy
But leading climate scientists and civil society groups have criticised the presence of corporations at COP29, especially those that represent fossil fuel interests. Malaysian environmental watchdog Rimbwatch expressed concern over the presence of companies that “have significant investments in fossil fuel expansion” or which are part of trade bodies representing fossil fuel interests.
Data by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change showed that among Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia had the biggest delegation of companies, with 253 firms attending. Although only government representatives or “observer” organisations are allowed to be parties to COP, governments can invite civil society and private sector representatives to attend other parts of the conference, such as the exhibition hall, through the “party overflow” system.
Of the Indonesian companies, 20 per cent were from oil and gas firms such as national oil company Pertamina (31 people), Medco (10) and Transporti Gas Indonesia (4). Nine coal companies sent representatives as well, including Adaro Energy (5) and Indika Energy (2).
The country’s palm oil and plantation firms were also given seats to attend the conference, including Asia Pulp and Paper (7), APRIL Group (5), and Royal Golden Eagle (2).
Malaysian companies with fossil fuel interests which attended COP29 included national oil firm Petronas, energy company Yinson and Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation. Rimbawatch pointed out that there were also a large number of other corporate representatives, including those from banks, consulting groups, and agricultural businesses.
“We call on the government of Malaysia to adopt an exclusion list for overflow badges. This list should include representatives of businesses which are involved in, and committed to the future expansion of, environmentally harmful activities, such as fossil fuel companies, and businesses promoting false solutions to climate change,” said Rimbawatch.
In response to Rimbawatch’s criticism, Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) said that it was an “oversimplification” to categorise Petronas and other energy firms, such as utility companies Tenaga Nasional and Sarawak Energy, as “fossil fuel lobbyists.” These companies are involved in major renewable energy investments globally and play a key role in the country’s National Energy Transition Roadmap, the ministry said in a statement.
NRES added that it does not place any restriction on COP participation of credible entities, as the country is adopting a “whole-of-nation approach” to address climate change.
“Malaysia’s negotiating team was given a mandate that took into account both public, private and civil society positions,” the ministry said. It added that private sector and civil society groups had been consulted ahead of COP29 on the position Malaysia would take in negotiations.
So far, Malaysia has joined the Philippines in rejecting bilateral loans or aid directly from rich countries, insisting instead on a multilateral climate fund for all.
Rimbawatch highlighted that only a few civil society organisations were represented under Malaysia’s party overflow system, with none being from indigenous communities or the Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak.
The ministry said that it has always offered members of civil society and interested individuals badges to attend COP, but initial checks by the secretariat revealed that only eight civil society organisations made requests. UNFCCC data shows that nearly all were given badges as part of the Malaysian delegation.
“It should also be noted that registration for overflow badges is given to credible persons or entities on a first come, first serve basis based on the due date that had been set by UNFCCC. At the same time, there was a limitation to the size of delegations from the organisers,” said NRES.
