Methane pollution has cheap and effective solutions that are not used

And because methane is not visible and uncomfortable, it may be difficult and costly to watch and prevent him from going out. As a result, the researchers and environmental activists say that the industry is likely to be launched More than the official government estimates appear.

Methane also leaks from coal mines – more than methane, in fact, which is released during natural gas production, which is mostly methane. Ember, clean energy research tank, put this Large visual interactive He explains how this happens.

The short version is that methane is included in the charcoal deposits, and while mining workers dig to expose the charcoal layers, the gas escapes, and continues to do for a long time after the charcoal mine reaches the end of its operating life. Since coal miners focus on charcoal extraction, they often do not follow the amount of methane that abandons it, and the organizers do not pay much attention.

According to EMber, methane emissions can be 60 percent higher than formal returns. Abandoned charcoal mines are especially harmful, and they emit more than abandoned oil and gas wells. In addition, the methane emitted from coal mines around the world every year has the same effect as warming on the climate as the total annual carbon dioxide emissions in India.

Disturbing the gaps in the data, some non -profit organizations have taken it upon them to try to get a better picture of methane emissions on a global scale using ground sensors, air screens, and Even satellites. In 2024, the Methanelsat Environmental Fund, which carries tools that could measure methane production from separate small sources over a wide area.

Ritch GotamThe main scientist in Methanesat explained that the project revealed some of the main methane motives. Since its launch, Methanesat has found that in the United States, the largest part of methane emissions does not come from a few oil and gas drilling sites, but from many Small wells that emit less than 100 kilograms Every hour.

“The marginal wells produce only from 6 to 7 percent of (oil and gas) in the United States, but they represent approximately 50 percent of emissions related to oil and gas production in the United States,” said Guteam. “These facilities produce less than 15 barrels of the equivalent of oil per day, but then, there are more than half a million of this scattered around the United States.”

There are ways to stop methane emissions, but we do not use them

The good news is that many methane containing tools of the power industry are already available. “About 70 percent of methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector can be avoided with current technologies, often at a low cost,” according to the IA Methane report.

For the oil and gas industry, this may mean a simple thing like using better fixtures in pipelines to reduce leaks and install methane cap. Since methane is fuel, the sale of the preserved methane can compensate for the cost of upgrade devices. Allowing him to enter the atmosphere is a waste of money and a fight against warming.