The European Commission unveiled on Wednesday proposals to curb methane emissions and reduce leaks in the energy sector in the European Union (EU) as part of efforts to put the bloc on a path to climate neutrality by 2050. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its overall contribution to climate change and responsible for about one-third of the current climate warming. Although it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period than carbon dioxide (CO2), on a molecular level, methane has a much higher global warming potential than CO2. Under the legislation proposed by the Commission today, oil and gas operators in the EU will be obliged to monitor, report, and verify methane emissions. The legislation largely spares companies operating outside the EU that supply most of the bloc’s fossil fuels. The Commission’s proposal is aimed at further effective mitigation of methane emissions […]