By Toby McIntosh
The United Nations Environmental Programme for the first time has disclosed a communication with a country about a major methane emission.
It took a request by Eye on Global Transparency using the UNEP Access to Information Policy to pry the report loose.
Although UNEP has contacted countries about several hundred emissions, it does not routinely release those communications.
The UNEP project is known as MARS, the acronym for the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), run by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) at UNEP. IMEO officials have stressed that transparency and engagement with emitters are key elements of their strategy.
In December of 2023, UNEP began release emissions data. The locations and size of the emission plumes are indicated, as well as whether the country was contacted.
When the program started, UNEP pledged to release summaries of its interactions with government, but hasn’t done so.
Nor has UNEP released its communications with the governments.
Now it appears they may be disclosed upon request.
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EYE Request Yields Result
Eye on Global Transparency filed such a request April 5, using UNEP’s Access to Information Policy to seek all communications with Kazakhstan about a large emission that occurred on June 23, 2023. The event and indication that contact was made with the government is indicated in the UNEP methane database.
Initially, on April 15, UNEP completely denied access. EYE appealed.
Two and a half months later, on July 1, UNEP disclosed one UNEP communication with Kazakhstan about the emission event.
However, UNEP declined to share any replies from the Kazakh government, citing confidentiality (more on this later).
Disclosure Reveals Nature of UNEP Notice to Governments
The UNEP communication to the Kazakhstan government reveals for the first time what UNEP says to governments it contacts about methane emissions.
The three-page document is dated July 20, 2023. The first page is a transmittal message, from the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan to the Foreign Ministry. 2023-07-20 Letter to MFA on emissions
The next two pages are a “Briefing Note” in which UNEP documents three large emissions in late June and early July of 2023 on the western coast of Kazakhstan.
The emissions are attributed to “an oil and gas well accident which started somewhere between June 7 and 9.” UNEP estimated that the emissions were between 61 and 210 metric tons of methane per hour (noting the margin of error).
“Large methane emissions such as this even present strong opportunities for methane mitigation….,” UNEP wrote. “UNEP’s IMEO kindly requests additional information regarding the cause of this event and to clarify what measures are being put in place to end this ongoing event and prevent future similar events,” UNEP requested. It also sought data based on ground observations.
The Briefing Note is illustrated with satellite images from US and EU satellites. It is translated in Kazakh.
UNEP has not systematically released similar communications with other governments. So it appears that the only way to obtain them is by request.
EYE sought:
“All communications to and from the owner and/or operator of the oil and gas facility in Kazakhstan concerning the methane leak of June 23, 2023, identified as “fb52c2c4-3d6d-4d27-a150-3fc3d9281f75” in the MARS database.”
UNEP posts its data here, updated about every two weeks, but uploaded 45-75 days after detection. There are now almost 5,000 emissions recorded. One column indicates if the government ha been notified.
Did Kazakhstan Reply? If So It’s Confidential
Whether Kazakhstan responded to UNEP is a bit unclear, but if it did UNEP did not reveal the reply.
UNEP’s reasoning and it process are worth examining.
EYE’s appeal of the initial denial went to a three-person panel, including one outside expert, whose names are non-public. Their findings are also kept secret. They go the UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen.
The conclusion, transmitted in a July 1 message to EYE from the Access to Information Desk, states:
The panel has reviewed your appeal and submitted its assessment to the Executive Director who endorsed that the following information could be shared.
July 2020 Briefing note shared with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (attached)
UNEP confirms that no additional formal information exists. UNEP is not able to share information about informal communication with its Member States in light of an expectation of confidentiality as outlined in the Policy.
This appeal is now considered closed. Should you have further questions about this incident, you may wish to follow up with the Government of Kazakhstan.
The two key sentences are somewhat confusing and contradictory.
Was there no response from the Kazakh government?
What “formal information” means is unexplained. The UNEP access policy doesn’t make a distinction between formal and informal communication.
If there was a reply from Kazakhstan, UNEP considers it confidential, apparently based on assertion of confidentiality by Kazakhstan.
There is no indication that UNEP communicated with the government following the initial notice, chich seems contradictory to the stated policy of engagement.
EYE has written UNEP about the denial, discussing the unusual secrecy of the process and questioning the reasoning of the conclusion. See EYE’s July 10, 2024, letter to UNEP.
Hint of Coming Transparency
Another EYE request has revealed that UNEP has plans “to launch an improved version of its data platform” at the next major UN climate summit, COP29, in mid-November in Azerbaijan.
The plan is to make the platform “more accessible and actionable.”
This information came from a UNEP document that EYE requested under the Access to Information policy, the minutes of a meeting of the advisory body to the MARS project. Meeting notes_IMEO Advisory Council_22.05.2024
The advisors met on May 22, their first meeting since October 2023. EYE requested documents about the meeting. The “Meeting Notes” are two pages long. Regarding the methane emission data the summary states:
NGO representative suggested to work on improving the accessibility of IMEO data for different stakeholders (e.g. journalists and NGOs). IMEO plans to launch an improved version of its data platform at COP29 to make it more accessible and actionable.
The document does not describe what recommendations were made by the two nongovernmental organization members on the committee.
The minutes also reference scientific studies and other research conducted for UNEP. According to the meeting notes, “Members discussed how to bring the results of science studies into the public domain more quickly, in addition to IMEO already sharing preliminary results with the different stakeholders in the country to make the data actionable as soon as possible.”
The meeting notes do not reflect any discussion of engagement with governments about emissions, but a few facts are provided in slides presented at the May 22 meeting (obtained pursuant to the same request). IMEO Advisory Council_22 May 2024
One slide says that 3,600 plumes had been detected and that 230 communications had been initiated to governments and companies that are members of the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership.
The slide says there is “[I}ncreasing engagement in countries with frequent detections, such as Turkmenistan, Egypt, Iraq.” The slide concludes, “Working with partners to identify opportunities to support mitigation following MARS notifications.”
The mention of Turkmenistan is notable because only a month earlier UNEP was trying to make arrangements to work with Turkmenistan on its methane emissions. (See EYE article.) EYE reported on April 24, “Almost 38 percent of all the methane emission episodes identified by UNEP occurred in Turkmenistan. But UNEP’s flagship methane project, while engaging with many other countries about their emissions, has never notified Turkmenistan about its emissions.”
The meeting notes report that at the meeting, the International Energy Agency (IEA) “offered support with engaging MARS target countries to increase the number of government focal points.”
See previous EYE articles concerning UNEP:
UNEP Still Looking to Make Contact With Turkmenistan About Methane Emissions
UN Methane Program Has Not Contacted Turkmenistan, Biggest Emissions Source
UNEP Issues More Methane Data; Nothing Yet on Engagements
Shrouded in Secrecy, UNEP Partially Denies EYE’s Request for Information
UNEP Issues Data on Methane Emissions; Indefinite on Other Transparency Pledge
UN Methane Detection Project Issues Report; Transparency Future Unclear
Delays to Access Information at UNEP Continue With Mysteries, Odd Requests
A Requester’s Saga: Dysfunction at the UNEP Over Handling Access Requests
UN Methane Project Sets Later Target for Releasing Data on Large Emissions
Shrouded in Secrecy, UNEP Partially Denies EYE’s Request for Information
40-50 Large Methane Emissions a Month May Be Revealed Soon, UN Official Says
45-75 Day Time-Delay Planned by IMEO for Release of Date on Methane Emissions
