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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gauberger

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Shot by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Cut by Brian Amador

Music by Filastine + Nova

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

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

On the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit, Extinction Rebellion activists used a series of unpermitted “guerrilla projections” to draw attention to the climate and health dangers of new fossil gas infrastructure. Fifteen grassroots activists beamed infrared footage of usually invisible methane leakage from Italian gas infrastructure onto the walls of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome.

Community members from nearby Civitavecchia co-led the action, criticizing the Italian government’s plans to build a new fossil gas plant in the city as they phase out coal. Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. “Natural gas” is more than 95% pure methane.

“Moving from coal to gas is like moving from unfiltered cigarettes to filtered. What our climate and communities need instead are for countries like Italy to quit building fossil fuel infrastructure entirely and start investing instead in renewable energy that supports local economies. Italy’s plans to replace the Enel coal-fired power plant in Civitavecchia with another climate-wrecking fossil fuel shows that their real interest lies in keeping Enel and Snam happy - not in reducing climate emissions,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar from XR Roma.

The case of Civitavecchia has become emblematic in Italy of the national government's climate and energy strategy that relies heavily upon the transformation of its existing coal infrastructure into fossil gas infrastructure. Of all countries in the EU, Italy is planning the largest expansion of fossil gas use in the electricity sector between 2018 and 2025.

“Investing in methane gas today means investing billions of euros that would directly harm public health and workers. The new gas plants do not create stable and lasting employment and expose local communities to serious health risks,” said Riccardo Petrarolo from No Fossil Fuels Civitavecchia.

The recent and ongoing release of infrared methane leakage images taken by the Clean Air Task Force in Europe is part of increased scepticism about EU public funding for new fossil gas infrastructure as a climate strategy.

“Methane in the atmosphere is rising at unprecedented rates. Emissions from the development and use of fossil gas are a major reason, and some research indicates increased emissions from fossil gas are the single largest cause of higher methane in the atmosphere globally over the past 10 to 15 years,” says Robert W. Howarth, PhD, global expert on methane emissions at Cornell University.

Photo by Michael Danner

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

On the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit, Extinction Rebellion activists used a series of unpermitted “guerrilla projections” to draw attention to the climate and health dangers of new fossil gas infrastructure. Fifteen grassroots activists beamed infrared footage of usually invisible methane leakage from Italian gas infrastructure onto the walls of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome.

Community members from nearby Civitavecchia co-led the action, criticizing the Italian government’s plans to build a new fossil gas plant in the city as they phase out coal. Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. “Natural gas” is more than 95% pure methane.

“Moving from coal to gas is like moving from unfiltered cigarettes to filtered. What our climate and communities need instead are for countries like Italy to quit building fossil fuel infrastructure entirely and start investing instead in renewable energy that supports local economies. Italy’s plans to replace the Enel coal-fired power plant in Civitavecchia with another climate-wrecking fossil fuel shows that their real interest lies in keeping Enel and Snam happy - not in reducing climate emissions,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar from XR Roma.

The case of Civitavecchia has become emblematic in Italy of the national government's climate and energy strategy that relies heavily upon the transformation of its existing coal infrastructure into fossil gas infrastructure. Of all countries in the EU, Italy is planning the largest expansion of fossil gas use in the electricity sector between 2018 and 2025.

“Investing in methane gas today means investing billions of euros that would directly harm public health and workers. The new gas plants do not create stable and lasting employment and expose local communities to serious health risks,” said Riccardo Petrarolo from No Fossil Fuels Civitavecchia.

The recent and ongoing release of infrared methane leakage images taken by the Clean Air Task Force in Europe is part of increased scepticism about EU public funding for new fossil gas infrastructure as a climate strategy.

“Methane in the atmosphere is rising at unprecedented rates. Emissions from the development and use of fossil gas are a major reason, and some research indicates increased emissions from fossil gas are the single largest cause of higher methane in the atmosphere globally over the past 10 to 15 years,” says Robert W. Howarth, PhD, global expert on methane emissions at Cornell University.

Video shot and cut by Martina Scalini and Elle Bee

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.

Photo by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

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.

Photo by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gauberger

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.

Photo by Pieter Geens

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.

Photo by Pieter Geens

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

Photo by Christian-Alexandru Popa

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gauberger

Ten activists from the Shale Must Fall network, Gastivists Collective, and Climate Camp Scotland beamed a series of unpermitted 40-meter “guerrilla projections” onto the iconic COP26 Climate Summit venue in Glasgow. This action came just days after leaked European Commission documents revealed plans to fast-track approval to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects through the “Projects of Common Interest” (PCI) list. The images – which included scandalous infrared images of methane leakage from British and European fossil gas infrastructure – were aimed at drawing attention to the “Methane Gap” between what was promised in the Global Methane Pledge and the construction of new methane infrastructure in Europe.

“The European Commission’s likely decision to support up to 30 new fossil gas infrastructure projects shows the huge gap between political rhetoric at COP26 and policy back in Brussels. Fossil gas production leaks methane every step of the way: from fracking to freezing to shipping to piping, reducing those super-charged emissions is the low-hanging fruit for climate action, but those emissions need to be treated holistically,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar of the Gastivists Collective. “Putting a few bandaids over the leaks isn’t getting to the root of the problem – our governments need to stop importing methane and commit to leaving greenhouse gases where they belong – underground.”

The European Commission's 5th proposed “Projects of Common Interest" include the contentious EastMed deep-sea gas pipeline that would bring fossil gas into Europe from the disputed waters of Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The PCI list gives projects fast-tracked priority for funding, permitting, and support at the EU level. Infrared monitoring technologies, such as those projected during the action, have raised the profile and awareness about the role of methane leaks from fracking and fossil gas infrastructure in contributing to global warming. Methane, conventionally sold as “natural gas,” is both a fossil fuel and a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. Europe is responsible for nearly half of global gas imports, and in Europe, fossil gas is already responsible for more CO2 emissions than coal.

“We are in Glasgow to denounce the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by extractivist European corporations that have already taken the life of activists like Samir Flores,” said Miriam Vargas of the Futuros Indigenas network in Mexico. “We denounce that corporations keep extracting land, water, lives, and peace from our territories. We demand an immediate stop to this nonconsensual extraction in our territory.”

The action sought to strengthen the international push to force governments to abandon the construction of new methane infrastructure globally and declare a global fracking ban.

“This is not terribly complicated: methane is a super-charged greenhouse gas that is already underground – all we have to do is leave it there. The fact that Scotland deems it dangerous to frack here and yet continues to allow Ineos to import fracked gas is simply immoral – if it's not okay to frack here, it's not okay to pay someone else to do it,” said Jemma Kettlewell of Climate Camp Scotland. “Europe tries to hide the true emissions of fossil gas imports, but methane doesn’t stop at our borders. Whether we import it to burn, or to make plastics, or to make petrochemicals, imported methane comes with a heavy price tag for the climate, not to mention the impacts of such industries on local communities like Mossmorran. Any European energy strategy that continues to rely on leaky, immoral, expensive, and imported fossil gas simply has no place in our clean energy future.”

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gauberger

On the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit, Extinction Rebellion activists used a series of unpermitted “guerrilla projections” to draw attention to the climate and health dangers of new fossil gas infrastructure. Fifteen grassroots activists beamed infrared footage of usually invisible methane leakage from Italian gas infrastructure onto the walls of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome.

Community members from nearby Civitavecchia co-led the action, criticizing the Italian government’s plans to build a new fossil gas plant in the city as they phase out coal. Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. “Natural gas” is more than 95% pure methane.

“Moving from coal to gas is like moving from unfiltered cigarettes to filtered. What our climate and communities need instead are for countries like Italy to quit building fossil fuel infrastructure entirely and start investing instead in renewable energy that supports local economies. Italy’s plans to replace the Enel coal-fired power plant in Civitavecchia with another climate-wrecking fossil fuel shows that their real interest lies in keeping Enel and Snam happy - not in reducing climate emissions,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar from XR Roma.

The case of Civitavecchia has become emblematic in Italy of the national government's climate and energy strategy that relies heavily upon the transformation of its existing coal infrastructure into fossil gas infrastructure. Of all countries in the EU, Italy is planning the largest expansion of fossil gas use in the electricity sector between 2018 and 2025.

“Investing in methane gas today means investing billions of euros that would directly harm public health and workers. The new gas plants do not create stable and lasting employment and expose local communities to serious health risks,” said Riccardo Petrarolo from No Fossil Fuels Civitavecchia.

The recent and ongoing release of infrared methane leakage images taken by the Clean Air Task Force in Europe is part of increased scepticism about EU public funding for new fossil gas infrastructure as a climate strategy.

“Methane in the atmosphere is rising at unprecedented rates. Emissions from the development and use of fossil gas are a major reason, and some research indicates increased emissions from fossil gas are the single largest cause of higher methane in the atmosphere globally over the past 10 to 15 years,” says Robert W. Howarth, PhD, global expert on methane emissions at Cornell University.

Photo by Michael Danner

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gaubergen

Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion Italy carried out an enormous "guerrilla" projection on the venue of the 2022 Gastech Conference in Milan, exposing the destructive consequences of this criminal industry.

Fossil gas is just another dirty fossil fuel that emits CO2 when burnt and leaks methane (a super potent greenhouse gas) all along its supply chain. As the climate crisis intensifies, any new gas investments are investments in death and destruction. #CleanGasIsADirtyLie!

Companies like BP, Shell, and ENI are making billions in profits off of an #EnergyCrisis they helped create, cashing out on the war in Ukraine and financing dictatorships worldwide. The salaries of their CEOs are paid for by consumers whose utility bills are strangling them.

We won't be fooled by events like Gastech. THE GAS ERA MUST END! Now is the time to accelerate the transition away from ALL fossil fuels and radically scale up decentralised renewable energy, electrification, and energy efficiency across Europe.

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Pieter Geens

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

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.

Photo by Jonas Van Gauberger

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.

Photos by Jonas Van Gaubergen

On the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit, Extinction Rebellion activists used a series of unpermitted “guerrilla projections” to draw attention to the climate and health dangers of new fossil gas infrastructure. Fifteen grassroots activists beamed infrared footage of usually invisible methane leakage from Italian gas infrastructure onto the walls of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome.

Community members from nearby Civitavecchia co-led the action, criticizing the Italian government’s plans to build a new fossil gas plant in the city as they phase out coal. Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 100 times more potent than CO2 while in the atmosphere. “Natural gas” is more than 95% pure methane.

“Moving from coal to gas is like moving from unfiltered cigarettes to filtered. What our climate and communities need instead are for countries like Italy to quit building fossil fuel infrastructure entirely and start investing instead in renewable energy that supports local economies. Italy’s plans to replace the Enel coal-fired power plant in Civitavecchia with another climate-wrecking fossil fuel shows that their real interest lies in keeping Enel and Snam happy - not in reducing climate emissions,” said Neal Huddon-Cossar from XR Roma.

The case of Civitavecchia has become emblematic in Italy of the national government's climate and energy strategy that relies heavily upon the transformation of its existing coal infrastructure into fossil gas infrastructure. Of all countries in the EU, Italy is planning the largest expansion of fossil gas use in the electricity sector between 2018 and 2025.

“Investing in methane gas today means investing billions of euros that would directly harm public health and workers. The new gas plants do not create stable and lasting employment and expose local communities to serious health risks,” said Riccardo Petrarolo from No Fossil Fuels Civitavecchia.

The recent and ongoing release of infrared methane leakage images taken by the Clean Air Task Force in Europe is part of increased scepticism about EU public funding for new fossil gas infrastructure as a climate strategy.

“Methane in the atmosphere is rising at unprecedented rates. Emissions from the development and use of fossil gas are a major reason, and some research indicates increased emissions from fossil gas are the single largest cause of higher methane in the atmosphere globally over the past 10 to 15 years,” says Robert W. Howarth, PhD, global expert on methane emissions at Cornell University.

Photo by Michael Danner