In a discussion with Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson on Thursday 15 October, members of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) voiced a number of criticisms of the European Commission's new strategy to reduce methane (CH4) emissions, and expressed particular regret about the lack of attention paid to the agriculture sector.
Maria Carvalho (EPP, Portugal) and Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, Poland) said the strategy focuses mainly on methane emissions from the energy sector, and neglects agricultural emissions, even though agriculture is the main contributor to global CH4 emissions.
According to the Commission, agriculture accounts for between 40% and 53% of emissions, compared to between 19% and 30% for the fossil fuel industry (see EUROPE 12581/9).
In a statement, Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) said: “There is nothing in the strategy about the counter-productive use of cultivated biomass, such as maize or other foodstuffs for biogas plants, which should be stopped”.
Lack of binding standards
Another criticism regularly levelled at the strategy and reiterated by a number of MEPs, mainly from the Greens/EFA group, is the lack of standards or any other binding mechanism to reduce methane emissions.
“Monitoring and verification (of emissions) is not enough, we need clear targets and objectives to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector, in agriculture and in waste and waste water treatment”, said Eickhout.
This is a view that is shared by some environmental NGOs, including Food and Water Action Europe, which calls on the Commission to take concrete action to reduce these emissions and condemns the lack of any mention of phasing out all fossil fuels, including gas.
When she was asked about this by Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA, Germany), the Commissioner replied that the Commission should “comply with the Better Regulation rules and carry out a full impact assessment” so that it could then “propose binding standards and targets”.
She then gave an assurance that her services would immediately begin to explore the possibility of introducing standards or targets and ways in which this could be done.
In a statement issued by Eurogas, the European gas industry welcomed the ‘methane strategy’ and assured the Commission of its support and its determination to reduce its methane emissions. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)