Weald Action Group campaigners will be in the High Court on Wednesday 18 November for a permission hearing for their judicial review of the government’s UK Methane Action Plan.
The campaigners will argue that the Plan fails to properly address the risks to delivering the UK’s carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act and omits meaningful policies for onshore oil and gas methane emissions. They will argue that the Methane Action Plan is government policy, and as such it must comply with environmental principles designed to prevent harm and protect the environment.
Methane is a fast-acting but short-lived super pollutant. It is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and is responsible for around a third of global warming. Cutting methane pollution is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to slow climate breakdown this decade and reducing emissions of this gas has the added benefit of protecting public health by improving air quality. Yet in the UK onshore oil and gas sector, leaking, venting and flaring of gas are common, inspections infrequent, and leak detection is sporadic. Methane is poorly regulated and largely hidden from public scrutiny.
Weald Action Group Campaigner Emily Mott said, “As UK leaders take to the global stage at COP31 to champion methane action, the UK must show real commitment by tackling emissions at home.
Notes to Editors
- This is one of two judicial reviews that the Weald Action Group has requested on methane emissions from onshore oil and gas sites. The second challenge concerns the Environment Agency’s operational permit variation for the onshore Horndean oil sites in Hampshire. The Weald Action Group argues that the permit unlawfully allows methane emissions from the sites without adequate limits, fails to properly assess better methane mitigation options, and was approved without sufficient transparency or public consultation. This was refused at a renewal hearing and WAG has appealed the decision.
- Read more about the Weald Action Group’s campaign on methane pollution from onshore oil and gas sites: https://www.
wealdactiongroup.org.uk/clean- air-clear-future/