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EUROPEAN UNION NEGOTIATORS have reached a deal to reduce highly polluting methane gas emissions from the energy sector across the bloc.
According to experts, one of the biggest drivers of climate change is methane gas emissions – second only to carbon dioxide. The gas also causes serious health problems.
Most emissions come from the energy, agriculture and waste sectors.
Under the provisional agreement announced just weeks before the COP28 climate conference, the fossil gas, oil and coal industry will be forced to “properly measure, monitor, report and verify their methane emissions according to the highest monitoring standards, and take action to reduce them”, said the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm.
The deal needs to be formally approved by both the European Parliament and the Council, which represents member states, before the new legislation comes into force.
This came as China and the United States pledged to accelerate their efforts to address climate change ahead of a major United Nations meeting on the issue, making a commitment to take steps to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases besides carbon dioxide.
The US, the EU and other nations have previously committed to reduce overall methane emissions worldwide by 30% by 2030.
The Commission said the compromise requires operators to report about quantification and measurements of methane emissions at source level, and forces oil and gas companies to detect and repair methane leaks on EU soil.
It also bans routine venting and flaring, which release methane in the atmosphere, and limits venting from thermal coal mines from 2027, with stricter conditions introduced after 2031.
“It requires companies in the oil, gas and coal sectors to carry out an inventory of closed, inactive, plugged and abandoned assets, such as wells and mines, to monitor their emissions and to adopt a plan to mitigate these emissions as soon as possible,” the Commission added.
The EU Methane Regulation for the energy sector is part of the so-called European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world’s most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets.
Since the EU imports large quantities of oil, gas and coal, the deal also requires from 2027 that new import contracts can only be sealed “if the same monitoring, reporting and verification obligations are applied by exporters as for EU producers”, the Commission said.
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This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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How about our EU policymakers tax the fuel they use in their private jets, aviation fuel is currently taxed at zero %, it’s about time these wealthy policymakers lead by example and do some of the heavy lifting and not leave it all down to the struggling taxpayers.
What about the Methane coming from Leinster House? 220 of them milking the country, While Rural Ireland is getting shafted every day by these people who don’t understand their politics are hurting everyone.
@Luka Roche: I look forward to seeing your name on a ballot during the next election. With your personal honesty and sensible policies you should be a shoe-in.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: oh please typical government stooge support response, oh bet you can do better. Heres an idea how about the 160 clowns elected look after the people first and the countries interest and then everything else including their mates, bank accounts and snowflake egos since they clearly need their little social media army online to defend them all the time
How about the government gives 56,000,000 to protect children’s services closes every station down apart from radio one so that we have one national station and the Journal allows comments on more articles.
“Since the EU imports large quantities of oil, gas and coal, the deal also requires from 2027 that new import contracts can only be sealed “if the same monitoring, reporting and verification obligations are applied by exporters as for EU producers”, the Commission said.”
Kill local industry and erect a trade barrier. The EU’s goal really is to make everyone (except the politicians) poorer.
How about waste, sectors, energy, and then maybe agriculture in that order.
It’s a cow’s fart in an abbatoir, as the Septic Tanks and BRICS fuel guzzlers and chunter away as they ever increasingly belch out the various greenhouse pollutants, they love the rest of the irrelevant pollution patsies increase their ‘credits’ in a zero sum ponzi scam of worsening pollution!!
It’s analogous to turning off your LED candles whilst your gaf is up in flames and neigbours are petrol bombing your only fire escape from across the street!!
So Instead of just stop oil, will it be just stop farting???
have your say