Methane emissions: House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee report

Approximate read time: 20 minutes

On 13 May 2025, the House of Lords is due to debate a motion in the name of Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat), the chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, to take note of the committee’s report, entitled ‘Methane: Keep up the momentum’ (10 December 2024).

1. Methane

Methane is a colourless, highly flammable gas and is the primary component of natural gas.^[1] In the UK, domestic gas comprises mostly methane and is used for cooking and heating. It is also used by industry to refine petrochemicals and in the production of anti-freeze, fabrics, fertilisers and plastics. Additionally, methane gas captured from animal and landfill waste is repurposed to generate heat and electricity.

Naturally occurring methane is found underground, beneath the seabed, and at lower levels in the Earth’s atmosphere.^[2] It is produced through the decay of organic material, such as animal and plant matter, with natural sources including volcanoes and wetlands. However, human activities also contribute to methane emissions, including landfill waste, leaks from gas distribution, and livestock and manure. When methane is released into soil or water, it eventually escapes into the atmosphere, where is degrades slowly.

After carbon dioxide, methane is considered the second most significant greenhouse gas in the UK. Greenhouse gases trap and hold heat in the atmosphere, leading to the warming of the Earth’s surface.^[3]

2. House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee inquiry and report

2.1 Inquiry

In March 2024, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee launched an inquiry into methane.^[4] The inquiry focused on several aims. These included:^[5]

• understanding the impact of methane on climate change and global warming, in addition to the main benefits of delivering methane reduction targets
• examining the UK’s progress in fulfilling its existing commitments to reduce domestic methane emissions and explore what further progress could be made
• understanding the “global significance” of the UK’s efforts to reduce methane and examine the “most impactful actions” that the UK could take

The committee held 10 oral evidence sessions and received 59 pieces of written evidence.^[6]

2.2 Report

The committee published its report, ‘Methane: Keep up the momentum’, on 10 December 2024.^[7] The report described methane as a “powerful greenhouse gas” and noted that it had accounted for approximately 30 percent of global warming since the industrial revolution.^[8] It explained that methane was around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and approximately 30 times more potent over 100 years in its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere. However, it also highlighted that methane was present in smaller concentrations and had a “much shorter” lifespan than carbon dioxide, remaining in the atmosphere for about 12 years. In contrast, between 15 and 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere for up to 2,000 years. Based on this, the committee concluded that “rapidly reducing methane emissions now” could have a “near term cooling effect on global temperatures”.^[9] The report highlighted evidence heard by the committee from Professor Piers Forster, the interim chair of the Climate Change Committee, the independent statutory body to government and Parliament, who suggested that rapidly reducing methane emissions, alongside addressing carbon dioxide, could lower the trajectory of global warming from 0.25 degrees celsius per decade to 0.1 degrees celsius.^[10]

In this context, the report assessed progress towards the goals of the ‘Global methane pledge’, launched under the UK’s presidency at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2021.^[11] Under the pledge, participating countries committed to “collectively reduce global anthropogenic methane emissions across all sectors by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030”. The committee stated that the pledge highlighted that “significant methane reductions must be achieved globally by 2030” to meet the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s objective of limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees celsius, while pursuing efforts to cap the increase at 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.^[12] As of March 2024, 158 countries had committed to the pledge, representing just over 50 percent of global methane emissions. However, the committee’s report noted that China, India and Russia—three of the five highest methane-emitting nations—had not committed to the pledge.^[13]

The committee acknowledged that “some progress” had been made toward the pledge’s goal. It noted that some participating countries had published methane action plans detailing their strategies for reducing domestic emissions and had engaged in bilateral and multilateral international agreements.^[14] However, the committee warned that despite these efforts, global methane concentrations had continued to rise, and the pledge target was not “within reach”. The report noted that one assessment had suggested that even if all existing national methane action plans were fully implemented, total global methane emissions would decrease by only 15 percent by 2030—falling “significantly short of the 30 percent goal”.^[15]

Examining the UK’s methane emissions, the report noted that the UK had “significantly reduced” its emissions prior to signing the pledge, with emissions falling by 62 percent between 1990 and 2020.^[16] However, since COP26, methane mitigation had not “featured prominently in the UK’s climate diplomacy work”, and domestic progress had “slowed”. The committee also heard concerns that the UK had “not been as engaged in international action on methane as might had been expected given its role in the launch of the pledge”. It described this as “significant” given the UK’s “scientific expertise and successful mitigation pathways”, which could be shared globally.

The committee acknowledged that although the UK had “already made great progress which should serve as an exemplar to others”, evidence it received had suggested that the country had the “capability to address slower progress” in recent years.^[17] The committee emphasised that domestic progress “matters”, both in the UK meeting national climate goals and fulfilling international commitments. According to the Climate Change Committee, methane emissions should fall by approximately 30 percent of 2020 levels by 2030 as part of the pathway to achieving the UK’s legally binding net zero target.

The committee proposed several recommendations to build on past progress and secure “future gain”.^[18] These included:

• Methane action plan. The report highlighted that, “unlike many other pledge participants”, the UK had not produced a methane action plan.^[19] The committee emphasised that given “constrained public finances”, the government needed to consider the economic costs of mitigation measures, including additional costs to business through increased regulation. However, this consideration needed to be “balanced by a recognition that well-designed regulation can drive sustainable growth, paving the way for long-term success for business”. The committee recommended that the government publish a methane action plan, which outlined both short- and long-term costs and benefits of action and inaction on methane emissions across sectors.^[20] Additionally, the committee proposed that the government used its “expertise in monitoring and verification” to “encourage the establishment of an international body” to verify methane action plans submitted by pledge participants.^[21]
• Measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification (MMRV). The committee described the UK as having “historic and continuing strengths” in emissions monitoring and verification.^[22] However, it called for further improvements to sector-specific regulation, which could bring “significant” benefits.^[23] These improvements could increase confidence in emissions statistics and refine the monitoring of sector-level mitigation measures. The committee called on the government to continue funding and promoting “pioneering” academic research in emissions MMRV. Examining the development of enhanced methane monitoring and verification regulation at sector and site levels, the committee warned that the UK had “fallen behind” the US and EU. Therefore, it proposed that the government examined international approaches and consider developing similar enhanced MMRV regulations.
• Agriculture and land management. The report stated that agriculture was the largest source of UK methane emissions, contributing 49 percent of the total.^[24] Approximately 85 percent of agricultural methane originates from the digestive process in cows and other ruminant animals (also known as ‘enteric fermentation’), with the remaining 15 percent emitted from slurry manure. The committee acknowledged that there were “promising solutions” to mitigate emissions from ruminants but noted that several were “technologically immature”.^[25] It recommended that the government prioritised “low-cost, long-term solutions” and led an “open and honest conversation” with the sector and supermarkets on how costs would be distributed to reduce emissions “whilst not burdening farmers or consumers unfairly”.^[26] Possible solutions included a focus on feed additives and improvements in animal health and productivity. Additionally, the committee stated that farmers had claimed that government communication about reducing methane emissions, and the options for doing so, had “not been sufficiently clear”. Therefore, it called on the government to consult with representative bodies, individual farmers and regulators to ensure that “clear and consistent expectations” were set and provide accompanying guidance.
• Waste management. The committee reported that methane emissions from the waste sector accounted for 30 percent of the UK’s total methane emissions in 2022, with landfill sites being the largest contributor.^[27] While recognising that the UK had made “significant improvements” in reducing methane from waste management before the signing of the pledge, it warned that a “renewed focus may be necessary” to reach previous targets.^[28] Should these targets not be met, the committee called on the government to provide its own assessment of whether the costs outweigh the benefits. It also noted that secondary legislation—the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024—was enacted in May 2024 requiring all local authorities to conduct weekly domestic food waste collections by 2026.^[29] However, the committee cautioned that the policy’s success would depend on whether it was “clearly communicated and achieves confidence”. It further stated that it had not seen a delivery plan from the previous government on how it intended to meet this “logistically challenging deadline”, with witnesses raising concerns about sufficient funding. Therefore, it called on the government to publish a “clear delivery plan”, including the steps required of local authorities and possible logistical and financial “obstacles” that they may face. The committee also examined the issue of waste crime, stating that it heard “significant concern” about the issue and “the risk that a high proportion of waste being disposed of illegally undermines methane mitigation efforts”.^[30] Therefore, it called on the government to review waste crime regulation, particularly the licensing of waste carriers.^[31]
• Oil and gas industries. The committee noted that methane emissions from the fuel supply sector had “reduced significantly” since 1990, with upstream oil and gas emissions decreasing by 70 percent.^[32] These reductions had been attributed to various measures, including reducing leakages in the gas network and upgrading iron pipes with plastic alternatives.^[33] Despite these improvements, the committee reported that the fuel supply industry remained one of the largest contributors to UK methane emissions, accounting for 7 to 8 percent of the total. The primary sources of emissions were flaring (29 percent) and venting (46 percent), which are controlled processes to dispose of gas on oil and gas installations.^[34] The committee also acknowledged that the government and offshore industries had committed to achieving zero routine flaring and venting, and World Bank data indicated that routine flaring in the UK had declined by 23 percent between 2021 and 2022.^[35] The committee welcomed these efforts but called for an increase in “transparency and accountability” on the progress towards the 2030 target.^[36] Therefore, it recommended that industry publish a roadmap outlining progress to enable the government and public to monitor industry progress.^[37] It stated that the roadmap should detail the obstacles in tackling flaring and venting at individual oil and gas platforms.
• Regulatory framework. The committee expressed concerns that methane regulation in the UK appeared “piecemeal and disjointed”.^[38] It highlighted that there was an emphasis on regulators “encouraging best practice on a voluntary basis rather than mandating focused monitoring and mitigation”. The committee warned that a lack of regulation “stymies commercial investment in monitoring technologies that have been proven by academic research”. It also identified that there was a “particular regulatory gap in the Environment Agency’s remit”. Therefore, it recommended the government consider assigning methane mitigation obligations to the Environment Agency. More broadly, the committee advised the government to consider how a “systems approach” could oversee methane emissions in the UK.^[39] The committee argued that this would involve steps to “better integrate” the work of government departments and regulators and “avoid gaps or areas of overlap”.

3. Government response to the committee’s report

The government published its response to the committee’s report on 12 February 2025.^[40] This included addressing the committee’s recommendations and outlining its actions:

• Methane action plan. The government disagreed with the committee’s recommendation to publish a methane action plan, stating that methane emissions were “already covered” within its existing delivery plan for carbon budgets.^[41] It noted that an updated delivery plan outlining policies and proposals aimed at achieving the 2030 target on the pathway to net zero would be published “in due course”. This plan would include key methane policies for the period up to 2030 that contributed towards the global methane pledge. Additionally, the government highlighted that the costs and benefits of reducing methane emissions to meet carbon budgets had been “factored in our plans to meet net zero”. In response to the committee’s recommendation to facilitate the establishment of an international body to verify methane action plans, the government stated that it was “prioritising leveraging our expertise in [MMRV] to build capacity internationally”.^[42] It noted that the UK, in its role as secretariat to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a voluntary partnership of over 190 governments, intergovernmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations, was “well placed” to monitor and assess progress on the pledge and had provided “capacity building to signatories of the pledge”.^[43] As of February 2025, this included support for 28 national methane roadmaps and 20 MMRV enhancement projects.
• Measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification (MMRV). The government said that the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero regularly reviewed developments in MMRV technology through a “dedicated greenhouse gas inventory improvement programme”, which “builds on cutting-edge research emerging from a range of UK academic organisations”.^[44] At the time of the report’s publication, the UK was one of four countries worldwide reporting validated greenhouse gas emissions based on measurements. Addressing the committee’s recommendation to examine international approaches, the government noted that the UK was an “active member country” of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and provided “significant” contributions to its work on MMRV and other reporting mechanisms.^[45] Additionally, it stated that the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority was considering including methane emissions from the upstream oil and gas sector in the ‘UK emissions trading scheme (UK ETS)’, which would require setting out monitoring, reporting and verification requirements.
• Agriculture and land management. The government emphasised the importance of collaboration in transitioning to a low carbon future, stating that reductions in methane and other greenhouse gases should be “one for all parties, where costs and risks are shared appropriately across government and industry”.^[46] It noted that alongside a food strategy and farming roadmap, it would implement a “credible plan” to decarbonise food and farming by working with stakeholders to design and implement solutions. In response to the committee’s recommendation to improve communication with farmers, the government stated that it had provided a “range of incentives and grants” to support the decarbonisation of agricultural emissions through sustainable land management, new technologies and farming efficiency measures.^[47] It highlighted that farmers and land managers could access information on available schemes and actions through various channels, including blogs published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK government website, podcasts and YouTube videos.
• Waste management. The government noted that section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended by the Environment Act 2021, would require all local authorities in England to arrange for weekly food waste collection for recycling by 31 March 2026.^[48] It stated that this waste must “always be collected separately from residual waste and dry recyclable materials so that it can be recycled”. The government also reported that 56 percent (180) of waste collection authorities in England had collected food waste for recycling in 2022/23. Acknowledging concerns about delivery timelines, supply chain pressures and infrastructure upgrades, the government stated that it was “engaging with key stakeholders across the sector”. Regarding waste crime, the government noted that it was considering proposals to “bring the existing light-touch carriers, brokers and dealers’ regime under the environmental permitting regulations”. These changes would require individuals involved in waste transport and decision-making to “demonstrate they are competent to make those decisions”, including increased background checks for firms handling waste. Additionally, the government said that it was considering proposals to reform the waste exemptions regime to “reduce opportunities for criminals to hide illegal activity behind permit exemptions”.
• Oil and gas industries. The government reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to ending routine flaring and venting by 2030.^[49] It highlighted that under the industry’s methane action plan, UK industry had committed to accelerate compliance with the World Bank’s ‘zero routine flaring by 2030’ target where possible, achieve a 50 percent methane reduction target by 2030 (against a 2018 baseline), and adopt the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative’s methane intensity target of 0.2 percent by 2025.^[50] The government stated that, with its support and that of regulators, the oil and gas industry was “on track to meet these ambitious targets”.
• Regulatory framework. The government said that it had announced plans to conduct an internal review of regulation and regulators at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to assess the effectiveness of the regulatory landscape and develop recommendations to “ensure that regulation across the department drives economic growth while protecting the environment”.^[51] Discussing the role of the Environment Agency, the government emphasised that the regulator had a “crucial role in addressing emissions of various pollutants including methane from the sectors it regulates”, such as agriculture, energy and waste. It also noted that the Environment Agency had published its own methane action plan in 2024, outlining strategies to reduce methane emissions in England by methane measurement and monitoring and providing technical assistance to policymakers “to improve regulatory frameworks”.

4. Reaction

The committee’s report was welcomed by organisations across various sectors.

The director of UK policy at the Clean Air Task Force, Rebecca Tremain, described the report as an “impressive demonstration of leadership on this critical climate issue”.^[52] The organisation praised the committee for outlining several recommendations to address methane emissions, including calling on the government to publish a national methane action plan and strengthen emissions monitoring and reporting.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) also welcomed the report.^[53] In an article on the EIA’s website, Kim O’Dowd, a climate campaigner who had presented evidence to the committee, stated that she was “pleased to see many of our key conclusions reflected in the report”. She further noted that “by building on the House of Lords report’s recommendations, the UK could position itself as a global leader in tackling methane emissions”.

Additionally, Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, expressed the union’s support for the report, stating that “we echo many of the House of Lords’ recommendations in its methane report as a way of investing in the agricultural industry and making sure we follow science and evidence-based policy to further mitigate any impact”.^[54] However, Mr Bradshaw warned that British farmers “want to do more, but we cannot do it alone”. Therefore, he called for a “clear policy direction” from the government to support farm businesses to reduce emissions.

5. Read more

• Global Methane Pledge, ‘About the global methane pledge’, accessed 6 May 2025
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, ‘Agri-climate report 2024’, 27 February 2025
• UK Health Security Agency, ‘Methane: General information’, updated 28 October 2024
• Environment Agency, ‘Environment Agency methane action plan 2024 to 2026’, updated 10 April 2024; and ‘Reducing methane emissions to help combat climate change’, 10 April 2024
• Offshore Energies UK, ‘UK upstream oil and gas sector: Methane action plan 2021’, 28 June 2021

---

Cover image by Tom Fisk on Unsplash.