On Tuesday, 28 September, members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted by a large majority (61 votes in favour, 10 against, and 7 abstentions) an amended draft report by María Spyráki (EPP, Greece) that calls for binding targets for measuring and reducing methane (CH4) emissions.
Welcoming this outcome, Ms Spyráki emphasised that it was necessary “to act immediately” and “to achieve concrete results on reducing GHG emissions” to combat climate change.
In fact, the adopted text considers reducing man-made methane emissions—mainly from fossil fuels, agriculture, and the waste sector—to be “one of the most cost-effective strategies to slow down climate change while at the same time improving air quality and protecting the health of citizens”.
MEPs had approved all the compromise amendments, including one on fossil fuel imports, on Monday (see EUROPE 12799/2).
Moreover, the report calls on the European Commission to set binding EU targets for commercial and industrial waste and to propose targets for capping the generation of residual waste during the revision of the Waste Directive and the Landfill Directive, planned for 2024.
Although methane is less present in the atmosphere than CO2, its global-warming potential (GWP) is 28 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period and 84 times greater over a 20-year period, making CH4 the second most significant greenhouse gas to contribute to climate change.
The entire European Parliament will vote on the draft report during the second October plenary session, which will take place from 18 to 21 October. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)