I’ve spoken extensively about methane emmissions abatement in recent years, it really is one of the most critical levers we have available to us that is simply being chronically under utilised.

Last week the European Parliament voted to put Europe’s methane rules off for three years, which is longer even than the Commission had asked for. I find that difficult to understand.

The case for waiting rests on a single study, commissioned by the fossil fuel industry, which says in its own pages that it is not a forecast. There is already gas on the market that meets the standard, several times over what the EU imports. The cost of complying is a fraction of a percent of the gas price. Very little of that was given a hearing.

This is the fastest means we have of slowing warming within the coming decades.

The decision now sits with national governments. What I want to ask of them is to keep any delay to a year at most, and use that year to make the rule work rather than to bury it. Let’s not play politics now, after the summer Europe experienced none of us need reminding of the very real consequences.

We at the Climate Crisis Advisory Group* set out the full evidence here: https://lnkd.in/eygBYBEx**

* https://www.linkedin.com/company/climate-crisis-advisory-group/posts

** https://www.ccag.earth/reports/should-the-eu-enforce-or-delay-its-methane-regulation