Matt Watson

Matt Watson

Senior Advisor Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Matt Watson is the founder of Watson Public Strategies LLC, which provides public affairs and strategic consulting services to energy-sector stakeholders, including environmental NGOs, philanthropy, multilateral institutions and forward-leaning industry initiatives focused on climate solutions. Matt previously served as Vice President for Energy Transition for the Environmental Defense Fund, where he worked from 2009-2024 on a broad range of climate/energy issues. From 2018-2024 he led EDF’s global methane advocacy campaign, where he set broad strategy and managed teams of policy experts, scientists and analysts, regulatory attorneys and communications professionals working in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Matt also acted as a primary contact for key stakeholders in business, government, civil society and the media. Before joining EDF, Matt worked in a variety of roles at the state and local levels in Texas, often for elected officials, across a range of energy and environmental issues – including climate policy, water management, the power sector, land use and transportation. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society from the University of California Santa Barbara and a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

Main Conference Day 1: Wednesday 25th February

1:25 PM Panel: From Brussels to the Field: Designing Scalable, Credible Methane Verification Frameworks

  • Hear from experts shaping the verification frameworks that will underpin compliance with the EU’s methane import standard
  • Understand the technical and procedural elements being considered to ensure consistency, credibility, and scalability across global supply chains
  • Explore how verification protocols will interact with existing reporting frameworks like OGMP 2.0 and certification schemes
  • Gain insight into how operators and solution providers can prepare for third-party verification and align internal systems with emerging standards 

Main Conference Day 2: Thursday 26th February

4:00 PM Panel: From Molecule to Market: How Certification is Reshaping Gas Markets

  • Explore how regulatory pressure, ESG commitments, and Scope 3 emissions targets are shaping buyer interest in certified and differentiated natural gas.
  • Who’s Buying and Why? Hear from industrials, utilities, and traders actively sourcing low-methane gas and what they need from producers and certifiers.
  • Understand how frameworks like MiQ and EO100 are being used to verify methane intensity and support commercial transactions.
  • Discuss how certification is influencing pricing, procurement strategies, and the evolution of gas trading in Europe. 

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Matt.

Download The Latest Agenda