As methane emissions soar and climate goals hang in the balance, civil society is stepping up. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Europe and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) launched the European Civil Society Observatory on Methane (CSO-M) – an independent platform to monitor progress on methane emissions reductions.
In parallel, EDF Europe also launched “Time for CH4nge”, a public awareness campaign that will turn methane from an unknown threat into a public priority – using data storytelling and powerful visuals to cut through climate fatigue.
The twin initiatives were unveiled at a high-level Brussels event attended by leading scientists, policymakers, and activists, including IPCC Vice Chair Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Earth4All Executive Chair Sandrine Dixson-Declève, and MEPs Jutta Paulus and Lena Schilling.
Methane, a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years, is driving roughly 30% of today’s global warming. And concentrations in the atmosphere are rising fast. But because methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade, cutting emissions now can act as an emergency brake for the climate. And cuts are possible: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for a 75% reduction in methane emissions from fossil fuels by 2030 – a target well within reach using existing, low-cost technologies. The EU’s methane regulation, passed in 2024, is a critical step – and civil society increasingly recognises the need to raise ambition and put it at the centre of the European energy transition agenda.
Courtesy of the Environmental Defense Fund.