On 3 October, the members of the ENVI Committee adopted a resolution, calling G20 countries to adopt more ambitious climate goals ahead the UN COP27 Climate Conference, to be held in Egypt next month. The resolution was adopted in the context of the worrisome results announced on COP26 in Glasgow, which show that current targets will not be enough to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. In addition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influences the resolution as well, as Europe’s energy independence from Russia also calls for urgent emphasis on alternative energy sources.

On 10 October the members of ENVI and ITRE also discussed the joint draft report on the proposed regulation for the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector. In September 2021 the EU and the U.S. announced the Global Methane Pledge: a political commitment to reduce global methane emissions across all methane-emitting sectors by 30% by 2030. The proposed changes include improvement of detection and monitoring techniques, means to utilize leaks otherwise lost as an energy source, streamlining industrial methodology, and increasing transparency to improve market-stakeholder relations.

The Committees noted that an estimated 180 million cubic meters of gas could be earned if all methane leaks were eliminated, as there is currently no legislation requiring methane emitting companies to repair leaks therefore hey may not be aware of them. An amendment to the proposed regulation to impose these obligations is expected to improve health, environment, and benefit industry. In addition, stricter monitoring requirements could incentivise innovation.

On the night of 30 September, the European Researchers Night took place. The Europe-wide science communication and promotion event is primarily aimed at the younger generation – meaning that in all Horizon Europe associated countries, fun, family-oriented and engaging educational activities were held by scientific organisations. The Researcher’s Night, taking place yearly, on the last Friday of each September, is sponsored by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

As 2022 is designated as the European Year of Youth, the launch of the “Researchers at School” initiative was also announced, and implemented in many of the programmes of the Researcher’s Night. This new initiative from the Commission aims to further the same goals as the Researcher’s Night has all year round – popularising science amongst young pupils through direct interaction with researchers. The project is set to involve 2400 primary and secondary schools over two years to hold exchanges on the topic of science, technology, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

These events also emphasize tangible scientific goals, such as how science can help in combating societal challenges, as well as achieving SDGs and an overall healthier European and global environment for the next generation. The researchers at school initiative also aims to reach out to researchers who are interested in getting involved.

The milestone 20th edition of the European Regions Week, an annual, large scale event focused on the cohesion of, and cooperation between the regions of Europe, was held between 10 and 13 of October.

The event, comprising of more than 260 workshops, sessions, and participatory labs in total, hosted participants and speakers from various backgrounds: regional political and administrative representatives, academics, and experts from industry. The sessions were similarly versatile. The key topics were ranging from digital and green transition to youth empowerment with subtopics concerning a variety of specific fields, including research, innovation and regional cohesion in knowledge valorisation as well. These events were held in numerous European countries, and while a fair share of them were accessible in person, all of them could be viewed online. Online interaction and social media exposure was emphasized to promote participation all across Europe.

The opening ceremony, attended by EuChemS, was held in the European Parliament in Brussels. High profile speakers addressed the participants: amongst others, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, emphasized the role of young elected representatives, as well as President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, discussed regional cohesion, focusing on the highlights of the 8th Cohesion report. In addition, many regional representatives also addressed the achievements and challenges of their respective regions.

The session “Zero Pollution: a driver for sustainability” of the EU Regions Week have was connected to the “Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform”. EuChemS is an invited stakeholder of this platform, which held its 3^rd meeting on the same day.