• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Matt Watson

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Vice President, Energy Transition

Matt leads EDF’s global methane work, overseeing the organization’s strategy to reduce energy sector methane emissions consistent with a 2050 net-zero carbon future. Over the past decade, he has played a lead role in developing and overseeing numerous campaigns to secure groundbreaking oil & gas methane regulation and legislation at the national and subnational levels across North America, and to advance private-sector partnerships and projects in support of methane mitigation. Matt now leads methane advocacy efforts managed by teams working across North America, Europe, China, India and the Asia-Pacific. He sets broad strategy and oversees teams of policy experts, scientists and analysts, economists, attorneys, public affairs specialists and communications professionals, and works with key stakeholders in business, government, academia, the media, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Matt has more than a decade of experience in the oil and gas space and broad background in environmental policy, including issues related to transportation, land use, renewable energy and energy efficiency, gas and electric utility regulation, carbon capture, and water planning.  Matt holds a bachelor's degree in Law and Society from the University of California Santa Barbara and a master's degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

Sessions With Matt Watson

Tuesday, 19 March

  • 02:30pm - 03:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 07:30 pm - 19/mar/2024 08:00 pm

    Accelerating Methane Reduction through Financing and Collaboration
    Carbon Management/Decarbonization

    COP28 saw the announcement of new financing initiatives to accelerate the reduction of methane emissions in Oil & Gas and other sectors. Financing may help to accelerate actions by NOCs in some major oil producing regions, especially in developing economies. In practice, such investments also need collaboration between producers and regulators to ensure alignment on regulatory and fiscal incentives and access to gas infrastructure and gas buyers. What further measures need to be implemented on this new funding? What further collaborations between industries and governments will best ensure early success?

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 05:00pm - 05:40pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 10:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 10:40 pm

    COP28 Oil & Gas Decarbonization Commitments
    Climate & Sustainability

    COP28 elevated ambitions to tackle emissions from the oil and gas sector.  This included heightened national ambition to tackle methane, financing for low-income economies, and improving monitoring and measurement. COP28 also saw the introduction of the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter looking to accelerate action at the corporate level on methane, flaring, and scope 1 and 2 emissions. What is the significance of these commitments? What actions are being taken? What measures are being taken to improve monitoring and measurement?