Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Time: 12:00-15:00
Place: Social Democratic Party group room, Christiansborg
Host: Malte Larsen (S), chairman of the Danish Parliament's Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee
Moderator: Anja Bo, journalist 

Methane is responsible for about 30 percent of global warming today. In contrast to CO2, which has an atmospheric lifetime of several hundred years, methane breaks down in 10-12 years, but is 80 times more potent over a period of 20 years. Therefore, methane reductions today can significantly slow global warming already this decade. 

At COP26 in 2021, Denmark signed the 'Global Methane Pledge' – a global pledge to reduce methane by at least 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2020, including the preparation of national methane reduction plans. At the same time, the EU launched the world's first regulation in 2024 to address methane emissions in the energy sector. Denmark is the first member state to have fully implemented this.   

On this occasion, the Green Transition Denmark brings together researchers, politicians, investors and civil society to focus on methane reductions as one of the most effective tools to achieve our short-term climate goals – and on Denmark's opportunity to take international leadership.

See the conference program below, or download at the bottom of the page.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

12:00-12: 10 – Welcome 
v. Malte Larsen (S), chairman of the Danish Parliament's Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee, and Anja Bo, moderator 

12:10-12:15 – Framework: Why do we need to talk about methane now? 
v. Britt Dam, climate and energy advisor, Green Transition Denmark 

12:15-12:35 – Why is methane the key to rapid climate reductions? 
v. Jesper Riis Christiansen, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences and Nature Management, Forest and Landscape Ecology, University of Copenhagen

METHANE REDUCTIONS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

12:35-12:43 – Emissions in agriculture and reduction measures
v. Christian Ege Jørgensen, senior consultant at the Green Transition Denmark

12:43-13:30 – Panel debate: How can agriculture reduce methane emissions? 
Perspectives and methods from conventional and organic agriculture as well as animal welfare

• Frank Willem Oudshoorn, chief researcher, dr.ir., Innovation Center for Organic Agriculture
• Hans Roust Thysen, climate manager, Agriculture & Food
• Sophie Hastrup Christensen, Chief Agricultural Policy Consultant, Animal Welfare

Q&A

13:30-13: 45 - Pause

METHANE REDUCTIONS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR 

13:45-14:00 – Presentation: Methane reductions in the energy sector – a cost-effective path to rapid reductions 
v. Britt Dam, climate and energy advisor, Green Transition Denmark and

Ebru Berra Ekici, clerk/legal officer at the Danish Energy Agency, who wants to share experiences on Danish implementation of the EU methane regulation – Denmark as the first member state to have fully implemented it.

14:00-14:45 – Panel debate: Denmark's role in global methane reductions 
How can Denmark maintain its leading position and ensure effective reductions? 

• Henrik Frandsen (M), climate, energy and supply spokesman
• Soren Egge Rasmussen (EL), Energy, Utilities and Agriculture Rapporteur
• Renée Tengberg, ESG Director, Climate and Nature, Responsible Investments – Nordea Asset Management
• Jesper Riis Christiansen, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences and Nature Management, Forest and Landscape Ecology, University of Copenhagen

Q&A

14:45-15:00 – Rounding off and summarizing v. Green Transition Denmark

Read more: Why are methane reductions necessary?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Paris Agreement cannot be achieved unless we reduce methane emissions by 30-60 per cent. below the 2020 level in 2030. If we do this, we can avoid a global temperature increase of 0,3 degrees in 2045. Every fraction of a degree of global warming we avoid means fewer losses and damages to people and ecosystems, lower costs and less risk of exceeding so-called 'tipping points'' – such as a weakening or a collapse of the AMOC ocean current, which could have insurmountable consequences for Northwestern Europe, including Denmark, where winters will become significantly colder and summers drier.

Rapid methane reductions are therefore decisive to achieve the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1,5 degrees – a goal that, according to the recently published 'Emissions Gap Report 2025' can only be achieved if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 55 percent in 2035 compared to 2019 levelsIn the same report, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme emphasizes, Inger Andersen, however, that by addressing short-lived greenhouse gases like methane we have the opportunity to deliver the necessary reductionsThis is because methane reductions are one of the absolute fastest and most cost-effective ways we can limit global warming in the short term.

Denmark signed the 'Global Methane Pledge', led by former Minister for Development Policy and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen, in 2021. Since not all countries in the world have signed the 'Global Methane Pledge', it requires reductions of over 40 points from all signatories to achieve the global 30% reduction target. The national methane reduction plans that signatories to the Global Methane Pledge are encouraged to prepare must outline the policies and activities that they will implement nationally to reduce methane towards 2030 and beyond.

Financed with a grant from the European Council. Responsibility for the content lies solely with the grant recipient.