Methane emissions, a key driver of local weather change, stay stubbornly excessive all over the world in keeping with an annual replace from the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA).
That is even though the know-how to chop these emissions exists now — particularly for emissions from the oil and gasoline sector.
“As a result of methane is such a potent greenhouse gasoline, reductions are vital for motion on local weather,” mentioned Tomás Bredariol, power and environmental coverage analyst on the IEA who labored on the World Methane Tracker report.
Methane is about 80 instances stronger than carbon dioxide at trapping warmth, however solely lasts for round a decade within the environment. Its focus within the environment has greater than doubled previously two centuries, largely resulting from human actions.
In keeping with new numbers from the World Methane Tracker launched Wednesday, methane emissions from fossil gasoline manufacturing have remained at about 120 million tonnes yearly since 2019, once they reached a excessive, and are not coming down regardless of world methane pledges.
The advantages of methane reductions could be comparatively swift and are sorely wanted for a shortly warming planet, consultants from the intergovernmental company mentioned.
The LNG Canada power venture is seen beneath building in Kitimat, B.C., in 2022. New oil and gasoline amenities like this one have to satisfy stringent rules to keep away from methane leaks. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
Small however vital reductions
“If we have a look at present tendencies and fossil gasoline provide, sturdy motion on methane might ship a discount of 0.1 C within the rise in world temperatures by 2050,” mentioned the IEA’s Bredariol.
That may appear small, however it’s a vital discount — equal to eliminating all carbon emissions from heavy trade (metal, iron, chemical manufacturing, and so on.) worldwide.
Regardless of this, the report says international locations are nonetheless far behind implementing insurance policies to scale back methane.
Solely about 5 per cent of worldwide oil and gasoline manufacturing meets net-zero methane emissions requirements, in keeping with the company.
Canada, nonetheless, was singled out as “a number one jurisdiction” in tackling methane, in keeping with Janetta McKenzie, director of the oil and gasoline program on the Pembina Institute.
“If Canada is main on decreasing oil and gasoline methane … there’s a internet profit to our financial system as effectively,” she mentioned. “We’re early innovators in know-how and experience that places us able to promote options to the world.”
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau is seen talking an occasion concerning the World Methane Pledge at COP26, the UN local weather summit in Glasgow in 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Canada has intensive methane rules for the oil and gasoline sector, and bold targets — a 75 per cent lower beneath 2012 ranges by 2030. That is extra formidable than the World Methane Pledgewhich was launched in 2021 and consists of Canada together with main emitters just like the U.S. and Europe, the place international locations have promised to chop emissions 30 per cent beneath 2020 ranges by 2030.
McKenzie mentioned Canada at the moment has draft methane rules to drive additional reductions till 2030, and Ottawa ought to act to finalize these guidelines for the nation to proceed making progress.
Fixing leaks
Agriculture is the most important supply of anthropogenic — or human-caused — methane emissions, adopted by fossil fuels. However the latter is taken into account to be the simplest to chop down.
“There is not any want for technological breakthroughs to ship this,” Bredariol mentioned. “Round 70 per cent of methane emissions from the power sector could be diminished with applied sciences which were deployed in a number of locations all over the world very efficiently.”
Methane emissions occur primarily by leaks at oil and gasoline manufacturing amenities, pipelines and terminals, and different power infrastructure. Know-how to scale back these emissions includes plugging leaks in pipes, valves, tanks and different gear at these amenities.
However it may be a problem to seek out these leaks, since methane is a colourless, odourless gasoline. The IEA says that precise methane emissions worldwide are about 80 per cent larger than what’s reported by international locations of their annual greenhouse gasoline emissions reviews.
WATCH | Air pollution-tracking satellite tv for pc is launched into house (from 2024): 
Air pollution-tracking satellite tv for pc launched into house
A groundbreaking satellite tv for pc named MethaneSAT has been launched into house with the aim of monitoring world methane emissions. Scientists hope the know-how will assist maintain oil and gasoline corporations accountable within the struggle in opposition to local weather change.
Analysis over the previous decade has helped zoom in to the place the leaks are occurring, a few of which is now being utilized by the IEA for the methane monitoring.
The company relied on information from satellites, together with GHGSat, which is operated out of Montreal, to give you higher estimates of methane emissions all over the world. Satellites are more and more capable of pinpoint leaks shortly, the report mentioned, and assist corporations and international locations crack down on emissions.
Methane and the worldwide agenda
The IEA’s report comes because the U.S., the world’s second largest methane emitter, is reconsidering methane rules beneath President Donald Trump’s administration. Different main emitters, resembling China, India and Russia, haven’t signed on to the World Methane Pledge, leaving a cloudy future for methane reductions worldwide.
Within the absence of clear motion round methane from some international locations, the IEA report is making one other case for plugging methane leaks: saving extra gasoline for power manufacturing.
Methane is the primary ingredient of pure gasoline, and the report means that methane abatement efforts might make one other 100 billion cubic metres of gasoline accessible worldwide yearly — concerning the quantity of Canada’s complete pure gasoline exports per yr.
“Methane abatement makes a transparent contribution to the power safety agenda,” the report mentioned.
McKenzie says there’s a good enterprise case for Canada to maintain shifting ahead on methane. The European Union plans to impose methane emissions requirements on its gasoline imports, and Japan and South Korea are thought-about associated measures for their very own gasoline imports. McKenzie mentioned Canada’s motion on methane will assist it meet these requirements, because the nation tries to broaden its gasoline exports past the U.S. and to Europe and Asia.
