Independent think tank Green Alliance are calling on the government to address methane emissions, which they describe as a double-whammy pollutant due to its role in the formation of ground-level ozone.
The government will publish their Environmental Improvement Plan later this year and the Green Alliance’s new briefing paper calls for it to include new targets for reducing methane and ozone pollution.
Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with gases such as methane, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from traffic, farming, waste and energy.
Ozone inflames airways, reduces lung function and worsens conditions such as asthma. Long-term exposure has been linked to chronic respiratory disease and premature death. In the UK, ozone pollution is thought to contribute to around 1,500 respiratory deaths each year.
The problem intensifies in hot weather. In the middle of last month, after weeks of sunshine, ozone levels reached official alert thresholds across the country and the expectation is that climate change will make such episodes more frequent and severe.
UK sources of methane include livestock farming (about 50%), landfills (about 30%) and oil and gas extraction (10%).
Globally, ozone linked to methane from the energy sector is estimated to cause 97,000 respiratory deaths a year. Methane-driven ozone also damages crops by reducing photosynthesis, with wheat losses across Europe equivalent to 15% of production in some years. In 2022, this meant nearly £1.7 billion in lost wheat and potato yields.
Despite this, the UK currently has no specific target to reduce methane or ground-level ozone. Green Alliance argue that the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan is a key opportunity to set binding targets in line with World Health Organization standards.
They also point to practical measures already available, such as methane-suppressing cattle feed, better slurry management, ending flaring from fossil fuel infrastructure, capturing landfill gas and accelerating the switch to public transport and zero-emission vehicles.
Liam Hardy, head of research at Green Alliance, said: ‘Methane is a double-whammy pollutant: a potent greenhouse gas contributing to record heat waves and wildfires and a source of deadly air pollution.
‘It’s crucial that the government’s updated Environmental Improvement Plan sets targets for methane and ozone pollution, and the promised methane action plan needs to show increased ambition for urgent progress on UK methane emissions.’
The full briefing document can be read here.
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