On 3 October, the members of the ENVI Committee adopted a resolution, calling G20 countries to adopt more ambitious climate goals ahead the UN COP27 Climate Conference, to be held in Egypt next month. The resolution was adopted in the context of the worrisome results announced on COP26 in Glasgow, which show that current targets will not be enough to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. In addition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influences the resolution as well, as Europe’s energy independence from Russia also calls for urgent emphasis on alternative energy sources.

On 10 October the members of ENVI and ITRE also discussed the joint draft report on the proposed regulation for the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector. In September 2021 the EU and the U.S. announced the Global Methane Pledge: a political commitment to reduce global methane emissions across all methane-emitting sectors by 30% by 2030. The proposed changes include improvement of detection and monitoring techniques, means to utilize leaks otherwise lost as an energy source, streamlining industrial methodology, and increasing transparency to improve market-stakeholder relations.

The Committees noted that an estimated 180 million cubic meters of gas could be earned if all methane leaks were eliminated, as there is currently no legislation requiring methane emitting companies to repair leaks therefore hey may not be aware of them. An amendment to the proposed regulation to impose these obligations is expected to improve health, environment, and benefit industry. In addition, stricter monitoring requirements could incentivise innovation.