Methane leaks in the energy sector increased by 32% in 2020
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
A report based on satellite observations highlights the worrying rise in methane emissions recorded during the current year.
Methane leaks in the energy sector increased by 32% in 2020
A report based on satellite observations highlights the worrying rise in methane emissions recorded during the current year.
Since the beginning of the year, methane leaks from fossil fuel extraction sites have increased by 32 per cent compared to 2019. This is an deeply alarming figure, given that the gas produces a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere tens of times greater than that of CO2. The data are revealed in an analysis by specialist firm Kayrros, based on satellite observations capable of identifying large emissions sources.
"Such an increase in methane emissions is incompatible with the Paris Agreement"
"Increases of this kind in methane leaks – commented president Antoine Rostand, as reported by the French daily Novethic – are particularly worrying and contradict the direction set by the Paris Agreement. Despite all the talk about climate by players in the energy sector, emissions of this gas continue to rise sharply. In 2019, using our technology we identified methane leaks amounting to 10 million tonnes. That is equivalent to over 800 million tonnes of CO2 emitted over a period of 20 years."
[#DUblog]
#METHANE LEAKS ARE ON THE INCREASE AND THIS IS BAD NEWS
Large methane leaks rose 32 percent in the first eight months of 2020
MORE <++> bit.ly/DUblogMethane
#METHANE LEAKS ARE ON THE INCREASE AND THIS IS BAD NEWS
Large methane leaks rose 32 percent in the first eight months of 2020
MORE <++> bit.ly/DUblogMethane
From a geographical perspective, Kayrros specifies that the majority of leaks are concentrated in Algeria, Russia, Turkmenistan, the United States, Iran, Iraq and other nations that are particularly active in gas and oil production. But how can a 32 per cent increase in 2020 alone be explained? According to the analysis, the problem may lie in the operational practices adopted by companies active in the fossil fuel sector — practices that may have been modified this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
United Nations and European Commission launch a partnership to promote transparency
The fall in revenues risks leading companies to pay less attention to efforts to limit methane emissions, in order to cut costs. A further complication is posed by oil and gas companies in the United States. Those that go bankrupt do not always cap their wells before walking away — they simply abandon them. As a result, the wells continue to release gas into the atmosphere.
Dozens of oil and gas companies joined the new #OGMP framework today, committing to report and ultimately reduce #methaneemissions by 45% before 2025, and 60-75% by 2030 — a huge step forward towards mitigating #climatechange.
@NasrallaShadia fr.reuters.com/article/idUSKB… #oott
@NasrallaShadia fr.reuters.com/article/idUSKB… #oott
To address this, the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership was launched — an initiative backed by the United Nations and the European Commission, of which several dozen companies are members. In mid-November, these companies pledged to be more transparent about methane emissions. Yet the data analysis makes it clear that the effort cannot stop there.