EU methane policy recommendations

Methane: Europe’s missing link for effective energy decarbonization

About half of all internationally traded gas is consumed by Europe. The EU sources its gas from countries like Russia, the U.S. and Algeria, countries with sizeable methane emissions. This provides the EU with significant leverage when it comes to tackling emissions from the upstream segment, which is where the biggest part of the methane problem lies.

Many key stakeholders have already come to understand the importance of a regulated methane performance standard underpinned by robust, science-based assurance. Seven European energy majors have joined EDF and other stakeholders in calling on the Commission to set stringent requirements to certify all natural gas produced and consumed in Europe as low methane gas – a vital measure to help deliver on the promise of the European Green Deal.

The opening paragraph reads as follows:

“Continuously reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry is essential for addressing global climate change and important for the role of natural gas in the energy transition. Governments have a pivotal role in developing and implementing policy and regulation that achieve ambitious
emission reduction outcomes.

For these reasons, BP, Eni, Equinor, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Florence School of Regulation, Repsol, the Rocky Mountain Institute, Shell, Total and Wintershall Dea have developed recommendations for a suite of policies to reduce methane emissions within the context of Europe’s Green Deal to reach climate neutrality by 2050.”