gastivists
#MethaneLeaks Brussels Wrap-up Video
The evening before the expected release of new methane regulations by the European Commission, the Gastivists Collective and local ally Tegengas organized a “guerrilla projection” action at the Vilvoorde gas plant on the outskirts of Brussels. The action highlighted new infrared videos of methane leakage taken by Clean Air Task Force from fossil fuel infrastructure sites across Europe.
“Just weeks ago, at the COP26 conference, the EU signed the ‘Methane Pledge’ to reduce methane emissions. Despite this, there are still billions of euros of public money that is slated to go to new fossil gas projects. If we are committed to reducing methane emissions, we need to stop importing methane and start leaving it in the ground,” said Kevin Buckland of the Gastivists Collective.
Methane, sold conventionally as fossil gas (“natural gas’), is quickly being recognized as a false solution to the global climate crisis, and incompatible with the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, the continued expansion of fossil gas infrastructure is only possible through massive investments of public money that is obtained through relentless industry greenwashing and lobbying that tries to pass off methane as a climate solution. Fossil gas is blocking real climate action, and the reliable, decentralized, and renewable energy systems the people most vulnerable to global price shocks and fossil fuel extraction so desperately need.
Europe is the world's largest importer of fossil gas (much of which comes from fracking). New EU legislation, however, only calculates methane emissions of this dirty energy source from inside Europe, while ignoring the massive leaks from extraction and transport outside of EU borders. Europe needs to own up to its responsibility to the full lifecycle emissions of the energy it consumes, and move away from false solutions such as nuclear, hydrogen, and fossil gas.
Groups across Europe are demanding legislation that listens to climate science, and not the fossil fuel industry, and thus a full fossil gas phase-out by 2035. Any new fossil gas infrastructure that is approved today will either become a climate menace or a stranded asset. Our public money should be going to pay for a just climate transition, not to maintain industry share prices.
The current energy situation across Europe, from the conflict between Morocco and Algeria to Russia’s leverage of gas as a geopolitical tool, proves to us that energy is too important to be left in the hands of for-profit industry and rogue politicians and kings. The EU needs to have transparent and reliable methane emissions reporting, and make policy based on science - not by industry lobby groups such as ENTSOG. It is time for Europe to lead the world in developing locally-owned, reliable, and resilient energy systems, instead of continuing to burn public money through the relentless combustion of fossil fuels.
Shot by Tim Winters
#MethaneLeaks Brussels Wrap-up Video
The evening before the expected release of new methane regulations by the European Commission, the Gastivists Collective and local ally Tegengas organized a “guerrilla projection” action at the Vilvoorde gas plant on the outskirts of Brussels. The action highlighted new infrared videos of methane leakage taken by Clean Air Task Force from fossil fuel infrastructure sites across Europe.
“Just weeks ago, at the COP26 conference, the EU signed the ‘Methane Pledge’ to reduce methane emissions. Despite this, there are still billions of euros of public money that is slated to go to new fossil gas projects. If we are committed to reducing methane emissions, we need to stop importing methane and start leaving it in the ground,” said Kevin Buckland of the Gastivists Collective.
Methane, sold conventionally as fossil gas (“natural gas’), is quickly being recognized as a false solution to the global climate crisis, and incompatible with the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, the continued expansion of fossil gas infrastructure is only possible through massive investments of public money that is obtained through relentless industry greenwashing and lobbying that tries to pass off methane as a climate solution. Fossil gas is blocking real climate action, and the reliable, decentralized, and renewable energy systems the people most vulnerable to global price shocks and fossil fuel extraction so desperately need.
Europe is the world's largest importer of fossil gas (much of which comes from fracking). New EU legislation, however, only calculates methane emissions of this dirty energy source from inside Europe, while ignoring the massive leaks from extraction and transport outside of EU borders. Europe needs to own up to its responsibility to the full lifecycle emissions of the energy it consumes, and move away from false solutions such as nuclear, hydrogen, and fossil gas.
Groups across Europe are demanding legislation that listens to climate science, and not the fossil fuel industry, and thus a full fossil gas phase-out by 2035. Any new fossil gas infrastructure that is approved today will either become a climate menace or a stranded asset. Our public money should be going to pay for a just climate transition, not to maintain industry share prices.
The current energy situation across Europe, from the conflict between Morocco and Algeria to Russia’s leverage of gas as a geopolitical tool, proves to us that energy is too important to be left in the hands of for-profit industry and rogue politicians and kings. The EU needs to have transparent and reliable methane emissions reporting, and make policy based on science - not by industry lobby groups such as ENTSOG. It is time for Europe to lead the world in developing locally-owned, reliable, and resilient energy systems, instead of continuing to burn public money through the relentless combustion of fossil fuels.
Shot by Tim Winters