The case for UK methane action: A fast, cost-effective climate win

The UK is the second largest oil and gas producer and third largest methane emitter from such operations in Europe. While upstream emissions fell by 29 percent between 2020 and 2022, venting and flaring still accounted for 71 percent of sectoral emissions in 2022. The document highlights that official reporting may underestimate offshore emissions by up to five times. To maintain international leadership and comply with EU regulations—which will require importers to report on methane control this year and meet intensity thresholds by 2030—the UK should adopt a regulation based on prescriptive rules (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), performance standards for emissions intensity, economic incentives, and robust monitoring and verification systems.

• The UK is a significant methane emitter in Europe, ranking as the second largest oil and gas producer and the third largest emitter from oil and gas operations, behind Ukraine and Romania.
• Current voluntary efforts in the UK are insufficient to address venting and flaring, which represented 71 percent of sectoral methane emissions in 2022. Furthermore, observed offshore emissions may be up to five times higher than official reported figures.
• New EU methane regulations will impose strict requirements on the UK as a trading partner, starting with reporting on methane control measures this year, followed by measurement and verification requirements by 2027, and a maximum methane intensity threshold for imports by 2030.
• An effective UK methane regulation should combine prescriptive rules, such as quarterly leak detection and repair (LDAR) surveys and zero-emitting equipment, with performance-based emissions intensity standards for both domestic and imported fuels.

APA

Tremain, R. (2025). The case for UK methane action: A fast, cost-effective climate win. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2025/06/case-uk-methane-action-fast-cost-effective-climate-win/

Chicago

Tremain, Rebecca. The case for UK methane action: A fast, cost-effective climate win. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/2025/06/case-uk-methane-action-fast-cost-effective-climate-win/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tremain |first1=Rebecca |title=The case for UK methane action: A fast, cost-effective climate win |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=25 June 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/2025/06/case-uk-methane-action-fast-cost-effective-climate-win/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tremain2025case, author = {Tremain, Rebecca}, title = {{The case for UK methane action: A fast, cost-effective climate win}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.catf.us/2025/06/case-uk-methane-action-fast-cost-effective-climate-win/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }