IEMA responds to House of Lords recommendations to Government on cutting methane emissions

10th December 2024

A House of Lords committee has called on the Government to keep up the momentum on cutting methane emissions at home, while using its scientific expertise to be more engaged in international leadership.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee’s report ‘Methane: keep up the momentum’ (published today) recommends the Government produces a methane action plan, setting out how it aims to meet its global commitment to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions, caused predominately by energy (oil and gas), agriculture and waste management.

Whilst acknowledging the reductions in methane emissions achieved to date in the UK, and the need to balance economic considerations of action and inaction, the committee is concerned that the progress in the UK has slowed, even as global methane concentrations continue to rise.

Ben Goodwin, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at IEMA, said: “The Committee's report is absolutely right to highlight the need to rapidly reduce methane emissions in the UK. Methane represented 14% of total UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2022, with the agriculture, waste and fuel supply sectors contributing around 49%, 30% and 8% to that total respectively (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), 2024).

“The challenge of doing so is however a significant one. Advice published by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in the Summer, highlighted that to reduce our methane emissions by 30% by 2030, the pace of reductions will need to double.

“As the government weighs up its approach to achieving net zero by 2050 and prepares to receive advice from the CCC on Carbon Budget 7 next year, planning and investing effectively in reducing methane emissions across the entire economy must be a priority.”