The Regulation on methane emissions reductions in the energy sector (the ‘EU Methane Regulation’) will require the oil, gas and coal industries to reduce methane emissions through a package of monitoring and mitigation measures in the EU and, in the future, across the supply chain.
The reduction of global methane emissions is critical to keeping global heating within 1.5°C and preventing climate tipping points from irreversibly changing the planet’s climate system. Without mitigation, methane emissions from all three sectors are projected to continue to increase steadily, by up to 150 per cent of 2010 emissions in 2100.
Methane emissions are a threat to global climate and human health. Atmospheric methane concentrations are at their highest ever, having risen by almost 10 per cent in the past 20 years.
COP27 will take place in Sharm-El-Sheikh from the 6th to the 18th of November, a crucial time to put methane at the center of discussions.
This report, produced jointly with Changing Markets and GAIA, provides recommendations for governments on immediate actions that can be taken in national action plans, identifying specific measures and policies to cut methane in the main methane-emitting sectors: energy, agriculture and waste.
To stay well below 2°C and limit global warming to 1.5°C, the global community must take decisive action to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector and transition to alternative energy sources.