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The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) is the most important global forum on global climate policy. The third edition of the conference will take place in Poland.

“During this year’s conference we would like to focus on using natural gas as a source of electricity and heat for industry and households and as a raw material for the industrial sector. Natural gas is a low-emission fuel that can become one of the most important and easily available solutions for quick improvement of air quality in towns and cities. It is for this reason that, as a partner of the event, we suggested that this issue be debated on during the COP24 climate summit,” said Piotr Woźniak, President of the PGNIG Management Board.

“Natural gas can also be used as a feedstock in the production of fuel for the transport sector. CNG used as a fuel for passenger cars may help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 23% compared with vehicles with gasoline engines. In the case of buses, lorries and maritime transport, we can cut carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 25%,” added Piotr Woźniak.

The debate on “Using natural gas to improve air quality” will be held at 2:00 pm on December 10th. The event will be hosted by François-Régis Mouton, EU Affairs Director at the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP). The list of speakers includes Piotr Woźniak, PGNiG’s CEO, and Fatih Birol, Executive Director at the International Energy Agency.

During the meeting, industry representatives will present solutions for improving air quality in the transport, heating and electricity generation sectors, while local government authorities will talk about the initiatives they take to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, designed to improve the quality of life for members of local communities.

The second debate, entitled “Natural gas from conventional and unconventional sources as a low-emission fuel for the green economy” will also be held on December 10th, between 10:15 and 11:45 am. The debate, to be hosted by Scott Foster, Director of UNECE’s Sustainable Energy Division, will be attended by Piotr Woźniak as well as experts from all over the world, including from the US, Norway, China and Australia, representing business circles, international organisations and academic communities.

“During such an important event as the climate summit, we would also like to draw attention to other greenhouse gases, including methane, which is much more harmful than carbon dioxide. At the debate, we will demonstrate that controlled obtaining of methane prevents methane emissions, thus helping pursue the global climate policy,” said Piotr Woźniak.

The panellists will present the best practices for effective monitoring and management of methane emissions from the gas industry. The debate participants will adopt a broad approach to the subject and will discuss unconventional gas sources, which have considerable economic potential.

“We will also talk about what the upstream sectors actually does to reduce methane emissions. We will show that the gas sector can operate effectively and with due consideration for the natural environment,” added Piotr Woźniak.

PGNiG events during COP24:
10th December - Finance and Climate
12th December - Clean Fuels (13.00-14.30 - LNG and CNG for clean air)