On Wednesday 14 October, the European Commission presented its strategy to reduce methane emissions, focusing first on supporting voluntary initiatives to improve methane emissions data, while at the same time making legislative proposals that build on and consolidate the progress made through voluntary actions.
While it is widely accepted that methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change after CO2, there is currently a lack of information on CH4 emissions.
This is particularly true in the agriculture sector, where sources of methane emissions are often diffuse; the sector accounts for between 40-53% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, compared to 19-30% from fossil fuel production and use and 20-26% from the waste sector, according to the Commission.
In the short term, the institution therefore wishes to encourage “voluntary and commercial initiatives at the global level to immediately address the gaps in monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions”.
It “calls” on companies using fossil fuels “to set up more robust (methane) leak detection and repair programs”, pointing out that it is possible to reduce CH4 emissions from the energy sector by at least a third “at no net cost to industry”.
Where possible, the Commission wants to generalise the reporting of Tier 3 methane emissions from energy, chemical and agricultural companies across the EU. This is the most advanced emissions reporting method among the three tiers developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
No binding standards for now
Although called for by a number of environmental NGOs, the introduction of binding methane emission reduction standards is not foreseen in the short term.
Nevertheless, “in the absence of significant commitments from international partners (...), the Commission will consider proposing legislation on targets, standards or other incentives to reduce methane emissions from fossil energy consumed and imported in the EU”, the strategy states.
Asked why, one European official explained that the Commission must first explore how to implement such standards and analyse the potential consequences, while insisting that this option would be examined by the institution.
Legislative initiatives
As announced in the provisional version of the strategy detailed previously (see EUROPE 12545/1), the Commission will nevertheless present legislative proposals from 2021 onwards.
One of them will focus on mandatory monitoring, reporting and verification of all energy-related methane emissions, based on the methodology of the ‘Oil and Gas Methane Reduction Partnership’ (OGMP).
“Such legislation should include an obligation to improve leak detection and repair (LDAR) on all fossil gas infrastructure”, the strategy adds.
In addition, some initiatives already planned as part of the European Green Deal could have an impact on methane emissions, the Commission believes.
The strategy mentions the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the revision of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR).
The Commission will also assess whether the role of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) in preventing and controlling CH4 emissions could be strengthened, by extending its scope to methane emitting sectors not yet included, for example.
The scope of the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) Regulation could also be extended to include the reporting of methane emissions.
When revising the Landfill Directive, the Commission will consider further measures to “improve management of landfill gas, minimise its adverse effects on the climate and harness any of its potential energy gains”.
Without specifying a date, the strategy also foresees potential legislation to prohibit routine venting and flaring in the energy sector, covering the entire supply chain up to the point of production.
Other initiatives
In the agriculture sector, the Commission will support the creation of an expert group in the first half of 2021 to analyse the parameters for measuring methane emissions over the whole lifecycle.
Finally, on the international front, the institution will work towards the establishment of a detection and alert process for methane super-emitters using the EU’s satellite capacity, as well as an “international methane emissions observatory”.
Anchored in the United Nations framework, this observatory would be responsible for collecting, reconciling, verifying and publishing data on anthropogenic methane emissions at the global level.
Necessary efforts
According to the Commission, current policies on non-CO2 emissions are expected to reduce methane emissions in the EU by 29% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
However, the institution estimates that this reduction would have to be 35-37% to achieve a reduction in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
See the strategy: https://bit.ly/2SQ5YWd (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)