Online Event: Reducing methane emissions – Maintaining ambition in turbulent times

Tuesday 28 June 2022, 15:00 – 16:00 CEST

Online Event

Hosted by MEP Maria Spyraki

Co-Chair of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development‘, and Rapporteur on the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions

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Via the European Parliament’s (EP) resolution on the EU Strategy to reduce methane emissions, adopted in October 2021, MEPs called on the European Commission to propose binding measures and methane reduction targets, in order to significantly reduce methane emissions in the EU by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement ambition. As a result, the European Commission put forward a robust action plan to address the climate crisis via a new proposal to reduce methane emissions, which aims at measuring, reporting and verifying emissions, prohibiting venting and flaring, as well as requiring that leaks are detected and repaired, and last but not least tackling methane emissions embedded in our imports. Specifically, the proposal adopted on 15 December 2021 follows the strategic vision set out in the EU Methane Strategy in 2020, moreover the momentum of the Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26 in Glasgow, whereby over 100 countries committed to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

To reduce the impacts of such powerful greenhouse gas, the European Commission aims at reducing emissions from oil, gas and coal sectors by 80% by 2030. As the European Parliament has a key role to play next in building on the momentum, this event organized under the umbrella of the EP Intergroup on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development’ in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund Europe, plans on addressing the need to keep the EU ambitions high, in view of the upcoming COP 27 as well as against the backdrop of current geopolitical turmoil, and therefore lead by example when it comes to tackling climate change now.

FINAL AGENDA

15:00 – 15:05                 Welcome remarks by MEP Maria Spyraki, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development‘, and Rapporteur on the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions

15:05 – 15:45                 Panel discussion moderated by Mr. Andris Piebalgs, Professor at Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute, and former European Commissioner for Energy (Barroso I) and for Development (Barroso II):

• Malcolm McDowell, Methane Team Leader, DG ENER, European Commission
• MEP Jutta Paulus
• Flavia Sollazzo, Senior Director on EU Energy Transition, Environmental Defense Fund Europe
• Manfredi Caltagirone, Head, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory
• Axel Scheuer, Senior Policy Manager, International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP)

15:45 – 15:55                 Q&A session with the audience

15:55 – 16:00                 Closing remarks by MEP Maria Spyraki, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development‘, and Rapporteur on the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions