60 Amendments of Petros KOKKALIS related to 2021/2006(INI)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regards to the report of Climate and Clean Air Coalition (UN) 2021, about Global Methane Assessment-Benefits and Cost of Mitigating Methane Emissions;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20-year period, making it the second most important greenhouse gas, as well as a precursor pollutant to tropospheric ozone(O3), contributing to about a quarter of the global warming experienced today4 ; _________________ 4 Myhre, G., D. Shindell, F.-M. Bréon, W. Collins, J. Fuglestvedt, J. Huang, D. Koch, J.-F. Lamarque, D. Lee, B. Mendoza, T. Nakajima, A. Robock, G. Stephens, T. Takemura and H. Zhang, ‘Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing’, Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Chapter 8, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 2013, p. 714.
Amendment 34 #
Aa. whereas it has been three years since the IPCC published its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, which stated that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far- reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Α a (new)
Recital Α a (new)
Αa. whereas the CH4 emissions and concentrations are still increasing, raising concerns for air quality and climate change;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas economic growth requires additional resources and embodied energy, and therefore, we need to rethink the extent to which we pursue GDP growth by exploring alternative indicators, such as the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas many of the measures that can be taken at farm level to slash methane are also effective in reducing ammonia, and thus constitute a double win for air quality;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas fossil gas consists almost entirely of methane and therefore is incompatible with the EU’s climate objectives and the goals of the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas according to the 2018 IEA report, 'The Future of Petrochemicals', petrochemical feedstock accounts for 12% of global oil demand, and this share is expected to increase driven by increasing demand for plastics, fertilisers and other products;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the European Climate Law commits the EU to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 with increased emission reductionand sets a binding domestic reduction target of net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030; whereas addressing energy-related methane emissions is a key component of the European Green Deal, as are measures in the agriculture and waste sectors; whereas the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions notes that the EU should also play a role in ensuring methane emission reductions at global level, as the largest global importer of fossil fuels and a significant player in the agriculture sector;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the European Climate Law commits the EU to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest with increased emission reductions by 2030; whereas addressimmediately and significantly reducing energy-related methane emissions is a key component of the European Green Deal, as are measures in the agriculture and waste sectors; whereas the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions notes that the EU should also play a role in ensuring methane emission reductions at global level, as the largest global importer of fossil fuels and a significant player in the agriculture sector-food sector globally;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas methane emissions from agriculture are an important precursor of the harmful air pollutant ground-level ozone, which has adverse effects on human health; whereas ozone is responsible for around 1 million premature respiratory deaths globally per year, with methane being responsible for about half of these deaths;1a _________________ 1a Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas cuttreducing methane emissions can have a quickehas a major impact on slowing the rate of global warming than reducing CO2 emissions, since methane does not stay in the atmosphere for as long, and it could, and is therefore be one of the most cost-effective strategies to rapidly reduce the rate of warming and avoid some tipping points for global warming; whereas increases in methane emissions, compared to other GHGs can drastically accelerate global warming; whereas although reductions in methane can produce the quickest cooling effect, it is imperative that action is taken across all sectors to reduce all greenhouse gases;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the family farm model is vital to the future of agriculture and rural communities in the EU; whereas the number of farms in the EU decreased by about one quarter in the relatively short period between 2005 and 2016 of which the vast majority were small family farms; whereas over the same period, the number of farms with livestock fell by well over one third; whereas the intensification and concentration of agricultural systems has been a major contributor to this decrease in the number of farms in the EU;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1 Points to the lack of global leadership on mitigation of methane emissions, with very little action being taken on methane internationally; calls on the Commission to make methane emissions a top priority in its climate diplomacy;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the cross-sectoral approach outlined in the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions and fully supports a fair and effective framework covering the agriculture, waste and energy sectors; regrets that the strategy failed to lay down measures and targets for real methane reductions in these and other sectors;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Believes that quality of life and environmental indicators, not GDP, should be our measure of progress and success, by sharing income, resources and opportunities more fairly and investing in universal public goods; calls on the Commission to develop and use alternative indicators to GDP;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Considers there to be a need at EU level for a framework dedicated specifically to regulating methane emissions across all sectors;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Considers it of utmost importance that all methane emitting sectors reduce their emissions; acknowledges the need to ensure a just transition for sectors wherein methane emission reductions may have socio-economic impacts;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Stresses that it is insufficient to rely on methane-abating technologies that lock-in or support business-as-usual scenarios in the energy, waste and agricultural sectors; reiterates its call for far-reaching reform of its agricultural, energy and other policies;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underscores the need to revise EU climate and environmental legislation in a coherent manner to reflect enhanced ambition in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement; takes the view that, in light of the urgency to mitigate methane emissions, there is a need for adopting an overarching legislative framework setting binding European and national methane reduction targets in all the relevant emitting sectors; takes the view that the binding emissions reduction targets for Member States in the Effort Sharing Regulation5 should remain one of the main legislative tools to reduce methane emissions, whileas well as the Common Agricultural Policy, the Industrial Emissions Directive6 and other legislation could serve as a complementary tool; National Emission reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive; welcomes the proposal in the Strategy to review the NEC Directive and to explore the possible inclusion of methane among the regulated pollutants, urges the Commission to complete this review as soon as possible and much earlier than 2025. _________________ 5Regulation (EU) 2018/842 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 contributing to climate action to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation (EU) No 525/2013. OJ L 156, 19.6.2018, p. 26. 6 Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control). OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, p. 17.
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the importance of developing an inventory at EU-level of best practices and available technologies to promote the widerfor methane mitigation to promote the wider and more accelerated uptake of innovative mitigating actions;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the upcoming methane regulatory measures should strive to achieve significant emissions reductions as cost- effectively as possible and; considers it inappropriate and ineffective to provide flexibility for companies to achieve performance standards in an optimal, technologically neutral manner, and at the lowest possible cost, as this could risk undermining the regulatory measures;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that the upcoming methane regulatory measures, including the legislative proposal, should achieve significant direct methane emissions reductions across all sectors;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises the importance ofConsiders voluntary industry initiatives aimed at reducing methane emissions andto be highly problematic based on the urgent need for such reductions; considers that any regulatory initiatives should build upon best practices from existing voluntary actions and must be duly precedmeasures must be assessed, introduced and implemented byin thorough impact assessmentseir own right based on the latest available science;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers that all impact assessments for upcoming EU measures on methane must take into account the impacts of action and inaction in terms of immediate and long-term impacts, including on future generations;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Energy and Petrochemicals
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the upcomingat the Commission is working on a legislative proposal on compulsory MRV for all energy-related methane emissions; insists that the legislative proposal introduces measures for methane emissions for all energy categories, including coal; calls on the Commission to also include the petrochemicals sector in its proposal; calls on the Commission to prohibit fossil gas, oil and coal suppliers from placing fossil gas, oil and coal, as well as fossil gas, oil and coal products, including energy and fuels derived therefrom, on the EU market without mandatory methane MRV or any comparably effective measure put in place, including abandoned coal mines where ownership is known; emphasises verification should be fully independent; stresses that this MRV should be based on a comprehensive equipment survey and application of the most up-to-date emission factors, with a directive to move to actual measurement data within two years;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Reiterates its call in its Resolution 2020/2273 on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, urging the Member States – on the basis of the precautionary principle and the principle that preventive action should be taken, and taking into account the risks and the negative climate, environmental and biodiversity impacts involved in hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of unconventional hydrocarbons – not to authorise any new hydraulic fracturing operations in the EU and to halt all existing operations;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on Member States to commit to phasing out fossil gas by 2035 and to develop fossil gas phase-out plans as soon as possible, linked to National Energy and Climate Plans, including intermediate targets setting out an immediate and predictable pathway toward reducing fossil-gas consumption, outlining clear and concrete policies for eliminating reliance on fossil gas by 2035; urges the Commission to support Member States to this end;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Insists that all existing and new fossil gas and fuel infrastructure projects should be ineligible for state aid, EU funding and loans, including pipelines, all parts of transmission and distribution grids, LNG terminals, fossil-gas power plants and petrochemical facilities;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Calls on Member States to immediately halt the construction of all fossil-fuel infrastructure, within and outside the EU, including the financing of projects in other countries;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to introduce a robust legislative proposal to make leak detection and repair (LDAR) mandatory on all fossil gas infrastructure as well as any other infrastructure that produces, transports or uses fossil gas, including as a feedstock; calls on the Commission to also include natural gas liquids (NGL), oil and coal supply chains in this legislative proposal and to target the entire life cycle of each in the proposal; calls on the Commission to prohibit fossil gas, NGL, and oil suppliers from placing fossil gas, NGL or oil, or energy or fuel derived therefrom, as well as pellets and plastics derived from NGL, on the EU market without undertaking mandatory and periodic (at least quarterly) LDAR supported by verified evidence of reductions or any comparably effective measures; calls on the Commission to establish minimum LDAR requirements, drawing upon industry-wide source-by- source best practices;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Notes that a significant number of gas wells that have ceased production continue to emit methane into the atmosphere; calls on competent authorities to adopt policies to ensure that those wells, where ownership can be documented, are capped or filled to stop methane leakage and to ensure that those responsible for the leaks are paying the costs; calls for the establishment of funding programmes paid for by direct taxes on revenue from fossil-fuel companies to ensure that these abandoned wells are properly capped and leaks are stopped;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
7g. Highlights that for coal a differential LDAR approach should be applied, encompassing quarterly assessment, quantification, and reporting of methane leaks from cracks in strata surrounding the extraction site and accounting for methane emissions from coal storage sites;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 h (new)
Paragraph 7 h (new)
7h. Calls on the Commission to make publicly available all of the MRV information reported on methane emissions, in an accessible, mandated format to ensure straightforward comparison;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 i (new)
Paragraph 7 i (new)
7i. Recalls the IEA report 2021 which finds that investments in new fossil fuel production and unabated coal power need to end in 2021, if the global energy sector is to reach net zero emissions by 2050;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Paragraph 7 j (new)
7j. Deplores the greenwashing of fossil gas; recalls that fossil gas consists almost entirely of methane and is a fossil fuel;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. WelcomesCalls on the Commission’s proposal to consider legislation on to immediately introduce a legislative proposal to ban all routine venting and flaring in the energy and petrochemical sectors covering, if feasible, the full supply chain; considers that existing national legis, and to prohibit fossil gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and oil suppliers from placing on the EU market fossil gas, NGL and oil as well as fossil gas, NGL and oil products, including energy and fuels derived therefrom, as well as pellets and plastion addressing routine venting and flaring, taking into account complex safety and environmental aspects, must be taken into consideration when developing EU legislationcs derived from NGL, where no venting and flaring ban or any comparably effective measure is in place unless evidence is provided that the limited use of flaring is for a legitimate purpose, e.g. safety testing or safe disposal of harmful gases, and no technique exists that could capture the methane;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges that imports comprise over four fifths of the oil and gas consumed in the EU and that most methane emissions associated with oil and gas occur outside EU borders; acknowledges also, therefore, that the EU must play a role in the mitigation of methane emissions beyond its borders; calls on the Commission to explorintroduce regulatory tools for all fossil energy imports, including extending forthcoming mandatory obligations on MRV, LDAR, venting and flaring to imports for placing on the EU market;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Believes it to be nonsensical to consider fossil gas a "transition fuel", particularly when there is no clear phase out date and plan for its diminishing use; considers the use of the descriptive term "transition" should only apply when the transition is clearly planned, including phase out dates;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide economic incentives for companies to mitigate methane from abandoned coal mines where no existing owner is liable;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the Commission to adopt mandatory methane performance standards that cap methane emissions along the entire energy supply chain for both domestic and imported gas, oil, and coal sold and consumed in the EU by 2025, by which time company-level leakage data should be available either through improved MRV and/or comprehensive satellite imaging, subsequently allowing for an ambitious cap to be set;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Calls on the Commission to propose legislation to mitigate coal mine methane emissions at all active coal mines, including a ban on venting and flaring of methane from degasification operations; calls for Ventilation Air Methane capture projects to become mandatory, but also to provide financial support, for example through loans, to speed up the abatement process; highlights that thermal coal mines should be exempted from the support in order not to prolong their operation; calls instead for thermal coal mines to be encouraged to close and Abandoned Mine Methane (AMM) degasification systems to be installed as this could prevent further leaks; stresses that the use of coal in the EU's energy mix should be phased out by 2030 at the latest;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Calls on the Commission to request all Member States to phase out coal-fired electricity as part of their National Energy and Climate Plans and to chart a pathway for coal-free steel production by 2030;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes the vast methane emissions from nitrogen-based fertiliser production; welcomes the targets to cut fertiliser use by 20% in the Farm to Fork Strategy and to halve nutrient losses; emphasises the importance of pursuing these targets through holistic and circular approaches to nutrients management, such as agroecological practices, which can deliver co-benefits for soil health and biodiversity;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Notes that according to Eurostat, in 2019, the ruminant livestock population of the EU consisted of 77 million bovine animals and 74 million sheep and goats, resulting in an enormous environmental impact, the emission of many greenhouse gases and harmful substances including methane, as well as biodiversity loss; notes that farmers rarely get fair prices for their animal products; emphasises that a reduction in the number of animals kept for agricultural purposes should be encouraged and calls in that regard for a European ban on the establishment, development and extension of factory farms, with appropriate support for small and medium-sized farms to prevent their further withdrawing from livestock production, and to prevent its further concentration and intensification;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Deeply regrets that the opportunity to fundamentally reform the Common Agricultural Policy has been wasted, and that the positions taken by both Parliament and Council will further entrench unsustainable and environmentally damaging agricultural methods; points out that even the Commission's analysis shows that the ambitions and goals of the European Green Deal will not be met with the current positions of the legislators;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 f (new)
Paragraph 12 f (new)
12f. Recognises that the current European diet is not in line with recommendations for healthy eating; highlights that Europeans ate 69.3kg of meat per capita in 2018 1a; recalls that a sustainable, healthy diet requires a maximum consumption of 16kg of meat per capita per annum 1b; emphasises that EU-wide guidelines for sustainable and healthy diets would bring clarity to consumers on what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet and inform Member States’ own efforts to integrate sustainability elements in national dietary advice; calls on the Commission to develop such guidelines and specific actions to effectively promote healthy plant-based diets; calls on the Commission to set measurable targets to reduce the consumption of meat in the EU; _________________ 1aEuropean Agricultural Outlook 2018- 2030 Report, 2018 1bEAT Lancet Commission 2019 report Food in The Anthropocene: the EAT- Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 g (new)
Paragraph 12 g (new)
12g. Welcomes the Strategy's acknowledgement that methane emissions from agriculture in the EU are, in particular, linked to intensive production;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 h (new)
Paragraph 12 h (new)
12h. Calls on the Commission to target super-emitters of agricultural methane using EU satellite capability in the same way the Commission proposes to target super-emitters in the energy sector;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 i (new)
Paragraph 12 i (new)
12i. Regrets the lack of any mandatory measures to deal with agricultural methane emissions;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 j (new)
Paragraph 12 j (new)
12j. Welcomes the Strategy's acknowledgement that biogas derived from food or feed crops increases methane emissions, and thus can undermine the mitigation benefits of biogas, and that biogas developments should be based primarily on waste or residues; calls on the Commission to develop a robust, independent certification of origin scheme for biogas production methods and feedstocks; stresses that biogas production should be based on a local, circular economy model to avoid transport-related emissions and costs; emphasises that no supports should incentivise the intensification of livestock agriculture;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 k (new)
Paragraph 12 k (new)
12k. Welcomes the Commission's review of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED); calls on the Commission to propose the extension of the IED to include methane, and also to include cattle farming and aquaculture;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 m (new)
Paragraph 12 m (new)
12m. Stresses that action must be urgently taken in the EU to reduce methane emissions in the agricultural sector; regrets that the EU Methane Strategy did not present measures to do so; calls on the Commission to introduce legislative proposals under a framework on methane to specifically reduce methane emissions in the agricultural sector;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 o (new)
Paragraph 12 o (new)
12o. Stresses the importance of ensuring ambitious measures for reductions in methane emissions in the agricultural sector; believes that these ambitious measures should be bolstered by supports at national level, including through the CAP, for farmers to ensure the transition is just, swift, and effective;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the key role that the EU should play in supporting research, innovation and development, as well as in scaling up new sustainable technologies to help address methane emissions from livestock agriculture, while improtectving animal health and welfare; points especially to the need for multigenerational studies on feed additives;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Member States to fully comply with the existing requirements of the Landfill Directive, including the objective for 2035, by which date the amount ofthe amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled is to be reduced to 10 35% or less of the total amount of biodegradable municipal waste generated, by weight; calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure that Member States that are likely tohave missed that target take corrective measures and actions;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Reiterates its call in its Resolution 2020/2077 on the new Circular Economy Action Plan calling on the Commission to make legislative proposals to implement the goal of halving food waste by 2030;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Regrets that the Landfill Directive does not focus on waste prevention, therefore calls for its alignment with the overarching principles of the Circular Economy Action Plan; calls on the Commission to set the landfill target with reference to a baseline year, instead of "any given year" to reward waste reduction efforts, and to define a landfill cap in terms of kilograms of waste per capita per year rather than as a percentage so that the combined effect of reduction, reuse, recycling and composting delivers the best environmental result, while minimising landfilling of residuals and avoiding overcapacity of incineration that could cause lock-in and undermine the development of the circular economy;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Believes that incineration of municipal waste has no role in a fully circular economy; calls on Member States that are reliant on incineration of municipal waste to phase out support schemes for waste incineration, introduce moratoriums on new facilities and decommission older and less efficient ones;