EU Agrees on Reducing Methane Emissions

The agreement comes two weeks before COP28, the international climate summit in Dubai. Additional agreements to combat global warming are expected to be made there. Methane is about 30 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2. Most emissions originate from the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. 

Measures are already being taken in European agriculture to reduce methane emissions. Methane emissions have become an important aspect of research in the dairy industry. The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) is considering including methane emissions per kilo of milk in the criteria for sustainable livestock farming.

The deal now reached in Brussels will force the fossil gas, oil, and coal industries to measure, monitor, and report their methane emissions. The agreement still needs formal approval from both the European Parliament and the EU countries, but this is usually a formality. The package will form one of the measures that EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will present in Dubai.

The United States, the European Union, and other countries have previously committed to reducing global methane emissions by 30% by 2030. According to the Commission, energy suppliers must detect and repair methane leaks in their pipeline networks. They must also stop routine venting and flaring of gas pipelines from 2027 onwards.

The EU methane regulation for the energy sector is part of the European Green Deal, which aims to establish the most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets worldwide. Since the EU imports large quantities of oil, gas, and coal, new import contracts may only be concluded from 2027 onwards if exporters apply the same obligations as producers in the EU,” the Commission stated.