Europe can solve its methane problem within a decade, if it acts now
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By Cutting human-caused methane emissions would have an immediate impact. How can Europe keep its promise on methane? ECOS Programme Manager Edoardo Bodo and Senior Press & Communications Manager Alison Grace explain. First published in Sustainable Views by the Financial Times.
Access the original op-ed on the FT’s Sustainable Views here.
Weakening the Methane Regulation would not boost energy security, it would entrench fossil fuel dependence
Energy is back at the top of the agenda. War is disrupting oil and gas supply, electrification is not happening fast enough, and businesses and households are again feeling the pinch of Europe’s chronic fossil fuel dependence.
Energy security is a key area of policymaking, yet some in the fossil fuel industry and some Member States are working to delay or dilute laws like the 2024 EU Methane Regulation – a strategic tool for both energy security and reducing emissions, and a talking point of the EU-US trade deal.
Europe is feeling the impacts of an American internal political debate. On the one hand, the US ambassador to the EU, Andrew Puzder, is stoking fears of an EU energy crisis, while on the other, some US lawmakers are advising the EU to implement this law as it is.
Contradictions
At the same time, Puzder also describes US liquefied natural gas as ‘among the lowest methane-intensity fuels available on the global market’. In which case, it would likely already comply with much of the Methane Regulation. Where do such contradictions leave this landmark law?
Weakening the Methane Regulation is both unnecessary and will not deliver Europe the future its citizens want. It would simply lock in avoidable fossil fuel emissions and dependency.
Inaction on fossil fuels does not fit with the strategy laid out in Mario Draghi’s report: phasing them out to cut energy costs and increase competitiveness. This is already happening in some Member States, where higher shares of renewables protect consumers and businesses from price shocks.
We cannot stop the clock on the climate crisis. For resilient energy systems, a healthy planet, and trade that upholds instead of undercuts Europe’s climate leadership, policymakers need to break the fossil fuel cycle.
Methane is a clear starting point. It is responsible for around thirty per cent of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution and is 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period. Yet it dissipates within 7-12 years. We can solve this problem today.
“Implementing the EU Methane Regulation without delaying or weakening it would see legally binding requirements introduced for oil, gas and coal operators to reduce methane emissions”
Sixty per cent of global methane emissions are caused by human activity – including from oil wells, gas fields, and coal mines. Tackling these emissions now could deliver measurable climate benefits within a decade, making it one of the fastest ways to slow global warming.
New technologies (such as satellite data and artificial intelligence) allow for real-time monitoring of fugitive methane emissions, and so more accountability and better results are within reach. Stopping emissions can be as simple as closing a valve or tightening a screw.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) agrees, stating that up to 75% of human emitted methane emissions can be reduced with existing technology and practices. The IEA has said that “addressing fossil-fuel methane represents one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to lower emissions globally”.
And yet, emissions continue to rise, despite commitments like the 2021 Global Methane Pledge, in which countries agreed to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030.
Hanging in the balance
The Methane Regulation is the EU’s answer. Yet for over a year its fate has been in the balance. Implementing this law without delaying or weakening it would see legally binding requirements introduced for oil, gas, and coal operators to reduce methane emissions – measures that would also apply to non-EU producers exporting to the EU.
Solving the methane problem is an opportunity Europe can ill afford to squander. The technology, the supply, the environmental, and the business case is clear – but the EU’s resolve is not.
For the EU to remain a global climate leader, it needs to be creating the methodologies and technical standards that will bring the Methane Regulation to life. This is where the benefits for businesses and consumers really lie.
The choice is clear for policymakers: plug the leaks today for a more secure tomorrow, or continue to waste energy, money, and credibility.
