The Climate Impact of Methane – an Underestimated Danger

On October 17, 2024, the Leopoldina, National Academy of Sciences, and the Helmholtz Research Field Earth & Environment hosted a parliamentary breakfast at the German Parliamentary Society, titled ‘The Climate Impact of Methane - an Underestimated Danger’. The event took place under the patronage of Dr. Konstantin von Notz, MP, and Lisa Badum, MP, and brought together a total of 34 participants from science and politics.

Lisa Badum, Chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen for the Committee on Climate Action and Energy and Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on International Climate and Energy Policy, opened the breakfast and pointed out that the reduction of methane emissions is currently a very relevant topic for the Bundestag. She emphasised the importance of methane as a powerful greenhouse gas that represents an important lever in climate protection.

Leopoldina Vice President Prof. Robert Schlögl and Helmholtz Vice President Prof. Dr. Susan-ne Buiter then welcomed the guests. Prof. Buiter emphasised: “Precise satellite measurements show for the first time the full extent of methane emissions in Germany - and how urgently we need to act. In view of the high short-term climate impact of methane, it is of the utmost importance that we consistently implement the EU Methane Regulation at national level and immediately reduce emissions in the energy and agricultural sectors”.

Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl emphasised the need to minimise technical emissions in energy production: “Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, but it will remain relevant as a natural gas for energy production in the foreseeable future. This makes it all the more important to avoid technically induced methane emissions during production and transport”.

During the event, leading scientists provided exciting insights into current research and discussed necessary political measures. Prof. Dr. Susanne Liebner from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences provided an overview of methane concentrations in the atmosphere and pointed out the current rapid increase. She emphasised the importance of peatlands and thawing permafrost as significant sources of biogenic methane emissions: “With the Global Methane Pledge, Germany has also made a commitment to reduce its methane emissions by 30 % by 2030 compared to 2020. In light of new studies, we need to restore confidence in what has already been achieved and improve the reporting of methane emissions overall”.

PD Dr. Ralf Sussmann from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) focused on the energy sector in his presentation and emphasised the role of new technologies in the detection and reduction of emissions: “In addition to reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, our strongest lever for reducing emissions is the elimination of large sources that can be detected by new satellite technologies”.

Prof. Dr. Markus Reichstein from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry made it clear that agriculture, as the largest emitter of methane in Germany, requires special attention: “When regulating methane emissions, agriculture must be brought into focus. It is the largest emitter nationwide, and these methane emissions have barely decreased in recent years”.

In the subsequent discussion with members of the Bundestag, the following topics in particular were discussed in depth:

• Transformation of agriculture towards an animal-free diet: A switch to plant-based diets offers co-benefits such as lower greenhouse gas emissions, more efficient use of resources, a positive effect on biodiversity, improvements in health and animal welfare.
• Upstream chain emissions: Imported LNG fracking gas causes significantly higher methane emissions than conventional pipeline gas, which makes a targeted selection of low-emission suppliers necessary.
• Regulation and incentives to reduce emissions: The extent to which stronger regulations and bans are needed in addition to existing incentives in order to achieve the necessary changes in behaviour and reductions in emissions was discussed. Scientific recommendations could serve as the basis for a targeted policy.
• Future challenges: Leakage from hydrogen networks: When switching to hydrogen as an energy carrier, leakages could become a problem that needs to be addressed proactively.

In the final evaluation (see also Diagram), the participants particularly praised the “clearly summarised facts” and the “reference to the short-term opportunities for success”. It was also positively emphasised that the presentations were "short, clear, understandable” and included “concrete possible solutions”.

In addition to the committed contributions from patron Lisa Badum, other members of the Bundestag from various parliamentary groups also actively contributed to the discussion. The event made it clear that rapid, decisive and scientifically sound implementation of the EU Methane Regulation and national measures is required to achieve the climate targets. The breakfast impressively demonstrated how science and politics can work together to pave the way for effective climate protection.