Methane emissions, a key driver of local weather change, stay stubbornly excessive all over the world in response to an annual replace from the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA).
That is although the know-how to chop these emissions exists now — particularly for emissions from the oil and fuel sector.
“As a result of methane is such a potent greenhouse fuel, reductions are essential for motion on local weather,” mentioned Tomás Bredariol, vitality and environmental coverage analyst on the IEA who labored on the International Methane Tracker report.
Methane is about 80 occasions stronger than carbon dioxide at trapping warmth, however solely lasts for round a decade within the ambiance. Its focus within the ambiance has greater than doubled prior to now two centuries, principally on account of human actions.
In keeping with new numbers from the International 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.
Small however important reductions
“If we have a look at present developments and fossil gasoline provide, sturdy motion on methane may 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 important discount — equal to eliminating all carbon emissions from heavy business (metal, iron, chemical manufacturing, and many others.) 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 fuel manufacturing meets net-zero methane emissions requirements, in response to the company.
Canada, nonetheless, was singled out as “a number one jurisdiction” in tackling methane, in response to Janetta McKenzie, director of the oil and fuel program on the Pembina Institute.
“If Canada is main on lowering oil and fuel methane … there’s a web profit to our economic system as effectively,” she mentioned. “We’re early innovators in know-how and experience that places us able to promote options to the world.”
Canada has intensive methane rules for the oil and fuel sector, and impressive targets — a 75 per cent lower beneath 2012 ranges by 2030. That is extra formidable than the Global Methane Pledge, which 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 present 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 best to chop down.
“There isn’t any want for technological breakthroughs to ship this,” Bredariol mentioned. “Round 70 per cent of methane emissions from the vitality sector may be decreased with applied sciences which have been deployed in a number of locations all over the world very efficiently.”
Methane emissions occur primarily by way of leaks at oil and fuel manufacturing services, pipelines and terminals, and different vitality infrastructure. Know-how to scale back these emissions includes plugging leaks in pipes, valves, tanks and different gear at these services.
However it may be a problem to search out these leaks, since methane is a colourless, odourless fuel. 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 fuel emissions stories.
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 fuel firms accountable within the combat in opposition to local weather change.
Analysis over the previous decade has helped zoom in to the place the leaks are taking place, a few of which is now being utilized by the IEA for the methane monitoring.
The company relied on knowledge 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 firms 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 underneath President Donald Trump’s administration. Different main emitters, resembling China, India and Russia, haven’t signed on to the International 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 vitality manufacturing.
Methane is the primary component of pure fuel, and the report means that methane abatement efforts may make one other 100 billion cubic metres of fuel obtainable worldwide yearly — in regards to the amount of Canada’s complete pure fuel exports per 12 months.
“Methane abatement makes a transparent contribution to the vitality safety agenda,” the report mentioned.
McKenzie says there’s a good enterprise case for Canada to maintain transferring ahead on methane. The European Union plans to impose methane emissions requirements on its fuel imports, and Japan and South Korea are thought of associated measures for their very own fuel imports. McKenzie mentioned Canada’s motion on methane will assist it meet these requirements, because the nation tries to develop its fuel exports past the U.S. and to Europe and Asia.
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