The Methane Challenge: Law, Policy and Action in the UK Onshore Oil and Gas sector

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The Weald Action Group – campaigners behind the landmark Supreme Court 2024 Finch judgment helped establish that fossil fuel projects must account for their full climate impacts at the planning stage, strengthening legal requirements and environmental scrutiny. Building on that success, the group is continuing work on emissions accountability, questioning how UK policy and regulation currently addresses methane from the operational stage at onshore sites.

Methane is recognised as the emergency brake for climate change and addressing it is the fastest way to slow warming in the near term. Responsible for around one-third of global warming and more than 80 times more powerful than CO₂ over a 20-year period, “methane is also a precursor to ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant that damages human and animal health, crops, and ecosystems.”

Emissions of this super pollutant occur at every stage of onshore oil and gas operations, from exploration and production through to site closure and long-term abandonment.

Although reported emissions from onshore operations appear relatively small, the current regulatory system in the UK relies heavily on industry self-reporting, with limited inspections and monitoring. Venting and flaring continue as routine practice and leak detection is infrequent and without mandated repair times. Where independent monitoring of methane has been carried out internationally, emissions are often significantly higher than reported figures.

This event will bring together voices from law, policy and civil society to discuss the gaps in onshore oil and gas regulation and policy and how these are being brought to light, including:

• How current regulation stacks up against the emerging compliance requirements of the 2024 EU methane regulation. The EU has legislated for a high standard of methane emissions accountability. The UK, a Global Methane Pledge Champion, has not.

• The potential for legal challenges to confront regulatory and policy failures – including the absence of onshore oil and gas from the government’s 2025 Methane Action Plan.

• How community-led monitoring and freedom of information requests can expose discrepancies between reported emissions and what is happening on the ground.

The event will be chaired by Veerle Heyvaert and open with remarks from Sarah Finch, campaigner with the Weald Action Group, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. A light lunch will be provided after the event.

The event will also launch the Citizen’s Methane Investigation, Weald Action Group’s citizen science initiative using community-led data and information gathering to expose methane pollution and strengthen methane accountability.

Meet our participants

Acland Bryant: Acland is a barrister at Garden Court Chambers. He specialises in cases that involve issues of environmental and climate justice. Acland has experience in representing a broad range of clients, including international environmental NGOs, activists, political figures, protesters and children. He was Highly Commended for Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year at the Bar Pro Bono Awards 2025 and was shortlisted at the 2026 Awards.

Sarah Finch: Sarah is a climate campaigner and volunteer with the Weald Action Group. She fronted the legal case, on behalf of the Weald Action Group, that resulted in the landmark 2024 Supreme Court win which has forced the government to rethink its approach to the environmental assessment of new oil and gas developments. Sarah has won several environmental awards including most recently the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Europe.

Emily Mott: Emily is a photojournalist and since 2016, has campaigned with the Weald Action Group to stop the expansion of the onshore fossil fuel industry in the UK and to reduce the harmful impacts from oil and gas exploration and production. In 2024, she launched the UK Methane Campaign with Clean Air Task Force and is currently coordinating Weald Action Group’s Clean Air, Clear Future methane campaign.

James Turitto: James joined Clean Air Task Force in October 2020 to work on global methane emissions reduction by partnering with environmental organizations, civil society groups, media, industry, and government officials. Based in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States, James works directly with governments to support regulatory policy in the oil and gas sector. While at Clean Air Task Force, James has led major, successful international advocacy campaigns and launched the Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme, a UN-sponsored program to support up to 20 countries on regulatory development. James has been quoted in news outlets around the world, including Reuters, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Boston Globe, the BBC, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, La Repubblica, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and Climate Home News.

Kim O’Dowd:  Kim is a Senior Campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency UK, where she leads the methane and energy transition work at the EU, UK and international levels. Her focus is on promoting regulations to cut methane emissions in the energy sector, advocating for a dedicated fund to help Global South countries reduce methane and other super pollutants, and building the financial framework needed to support a managed phase-out of fossil fuels, with a particular focus on country platforms.

Meet our chair

Professor Veerle Heyvaert – Associate Dean of LSE Law School, Professor of Law

This event is hosted by the Weald Action Group in collaboration with the Global School of Sustainability and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and it is part of London Climate Action Week.

Please note that this event operates on a first-come, first-served basis. While registration is required, a ticket does not guarantee entry, so we encourage attendees to arrive early to secure a seat.