Two major efforts launched today to hold governments and polluters accountable for rising methane emissions

• Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) launch the European Civil Society Observatory on Methane - an  independent platform to push for the reduction of methane pollution from fossil fuels.
• EDF Europe also launches “Time for CH4nge” - a campaign to drive ambitious action on methane through data art and increased public awareness.

Brussels, April 7, 2025 - As methane emissions soar and climate goals hang in the balance, civil society is stepping up. Today, EDF Europe and DUH launched the European Civil Society Observatory on Methane (CSO-M) - an independent platform to monitor progress on methane emissions reductions.

In parallel, EDF Europe also launched “Time for CH4nge”, a public awareness campaign that will turn methane from an unknown threat into a public priority - using data storytelling and powerful visuals to cut through climate fatigue.

The twin initiatives were unveiled at a high-level Brussels event attended by leading scientists, policymakers, and activists, including IPCC Vice Chair Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Earth4All Executive Chair Sandrine Dixson-Declève, and MEPs Jutta Paulus and Lena Schilling.

Methane, a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years, is driving roughly 30% of today’s global warming. And concentrations in our atmosphere are rising fast. But because methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade, cutting emissions now can act as an emergency brake for our climate. And cuts are possible: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for a 75% reduction in methane emissions from fossil fuels by 2030 - a target well within reach using existing, low-cost technologies. The EU’s methane regulation, passed in 2024, is a critical step – and civil society increasingly recognises the need to raise ambition and put it at the centre of the European energy transition agenda. 

CSO-M: Tracking Methane to Power Climate Action 

The CSO-M is an independent platform for civil society organisations from across Europe. It allows methane campaigners to improve cross-border collaboration and to build on each other's work. The new Observatory will improve the ability of civil society to monitor progress on the implementation of the EU’s methane regulation, to turn data from a growing ecosystem of methane tracking technologies into action across Europe, and to push for accountability across the fossil fuel supply chain using science-based tools. The announcement of the CSO-M was welcomed at COP29 by Kadri Simson, former European Commissioner for Energy.

While the CSO-M connects and empowers civil society, EDF Europe’s “Time for CH4nge” campaign aims to inspire a groundswell of public action. Its mission: to make methane visible, urgent, and solvable - for this generation and the next.

The campaign’s signature image, designed by data visualisation artist Nadieh Bremer, transforms decades of methane data into personalised visuals showing how much methane has entered the atmosphere since an individual’s birth year - turning abstract emissions into personal urgency.

Commenting, Helen Spence-Jackson, Executive Director, EDF Europe, said: “Methane is one of the clearest tests of whether we’re serious about tackling climate change. It’s driving up temperatures right now - and yet we have the tools to cut it quickly and affordably. This is the decade that matters. If we don’t act on methane now, we’re locking in a hotter, more dangerous world for today’s children and for those who come after them. With the CSO-M, civil society will be able to track progress and demand accountability. And through Time for CH4nge, we’re building a movement that makes methane visible and impossible to ignore. Both are designed to turn public pressure into political action - and give future generations a fairer shot at a safer climate.”

Commenting, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Executive Director, DUH, said: “By introducing the EU Methane Regulation and including fossil imports in its scope, the EU has demonstrated leadership. As the first importer of fossil gas, it tackles the upstream methane emissions of its imports. Now, environmental organisations from across the EU need to hold industry, their national governments as well as the EU Commission accountable. The new civil society observatory on methane will strengthen these efforts by providing a platform for its members to exchange experiences and to join forces across borders.”

Kadri Simson, former European Commissioner for Energy, said at COP29, when the Observatory was previewed: “I am [...] delighted to hear that civil society organisations are mobilising across Europe to launch the “European Civil Society Observatory on Methane Emissions”, an essential mechanism to monitor and advocate for methane emissions reductions.”  

Visit timeforch4nge.org.

A recording of the event can be found here: https://timeforch4nge.org/resource-hub/.