Turning Methane Pledges into Action

Inside Canada’s 2025 Enhanced Methane Regulations

While transitioning away from fossil fuels and accelerating renewable energy deployment remains the ultimate goal, we need to minimize the climate impact of the existing oil and gas industry. According to the Global Methane Budget, human activity is responsible for roughly 60% of the 580 million tonnes of methane entering the atmosphere every year. The oil and gas sector alone accounts for more than a fifth of those human-caused emissions, making it the world’s second-largest contributor. 

Here is why that matters: methane is a short-lived climate pollutant with a massive near-term warming potential. Over a 20-year timeline, it traps over 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide after it reaches the atmosphere. Curbing these emissions offers one of the fastest, most effective levers to slow climate change right now. 

With its 2025 Enhanced Methane Regulations, Canada re-established their methane reduction framework for the oil and gas sector. The new rules go far beyond incremental tweaks – they outright prohibit routine venting, tighten leak detection rules, and establish a stringent Fugitive Emissions Management Program. As oil and gas producing nations around the world look to translate high-level climate pledges into actual emissions cuts, Canada’s framework offers valuable lessons for balancing climate ambition with implementation. 

To break down what works and where the hurdles lie, the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) published a new report: Balancing Ambition and Implementation: An Analysis of Canada’s 2025 Enhanced Methane Regulations. Drawing from literature review and interviews with leading Canadian methane experts, this report analyzes Canada’s updated regulatory framework and identifies practical lessons for other oil and gas producing countries and jurisdictions. Among its recommendations, the report highlights the importance of:

• Adopting risk-based leak detection and repair programs that prioritize the highest-emitting facilities.
• Strengthening measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification through direct measurement and independent verification.
• Leveraging continuous monitoring technologies to improve emissions detection and accountability.
• Framing methane mitigation as both a climate strategy and an economic opportunity that supports innovation, jobs, and export competitiveness.

Canada’s rules aren’t perfect (yet), and the CLEE report highlights some implementation hurdles that still need fine-tuning. However, as a blueprint for action, it shows how smart policy can turn ambitious climate targets into action. 

Access the full report here: Balancing Ambition and Implementation: An Analysis of Canada’s 2025 Enhanced Methane Regulations

Canada, Methane, oil and gas