In this issue of ACEP RADAR, we examine how methane mitigation decisions can be strengthened through Enhanced Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (Enhanced MACCs), an evolution of the conventional tool used to identify and prioritise emissions-reduction opportunities.

Traditional MACCs show how much methane can be reduced and the cost of achieving those reductions, providing an important basis for investment and policy decisions. However, the economics of methane mitigation extend beyond the direct cost of capturing or reducing emissions. Factors such as financing availability, infrastructure readiness, regulatory certainty and institutional capacity can significantly influence whether a mitigation opportunity is actually implemented.

Our latest analysis introduces Enhanced MACCs to bring these considerations into the assessment. The framework captures the wider value of methane mitigation, including improved operational safety, stronger regulatory compliance, reduced operational risks, enhanced ESG performance, greater investor confidence and potential access to climate finance. By making these benefits and hidden cost drivers more visible, Enhanced MACCs provide a more realistic picture of the factors that shape investment decisions and can help policymakers and industry identify mitigation opportunities that deliver value beyond emissions reduction alone.

The issue also highlights ACEP’s high-level dialogue with the Nigerian Senate Committee, the Africa Climate Academy, which brought together over 50 participants from 20 countries to explore Africa’s climate challenges in the context of the energy transition, and key conversations from the Climate Action Dialogue on advancing effective and inclusive climate action across the continent.