The Paris-based company stated failing to curb methane leaks from oil and fuel tasks was a “massive missed opportunity” to forestall losses and cut back emissions of the potent greenhouse fuel.
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“Planet-heating methane released by the fossil fuel industry rose to near record highs in 2023 despite technology available to curb this pollution at virtually no cost,” the International Energy Agency stated on March 13.
“Slashing emissions of methane — second only to carbon dioxide for its contribution to global warming — is essential to meeting international targets on climate change,” the IEA stated.
The Paris-based company stated failing to curb methane leaks from oil and fuel tasks was a “massive missed opportunity” to forestall losses and cut back emissions of the potent greenhouse fuel.
“Emissions of methane from fossil fuel operations remain unacceptably high… There is no reason for emissions to remain as high as they are,” IEA chief vitality economist Tim Gould informed reporters forward of the discharge of the company’s annual Global Methane Tracker report.
But he expressed hope that this yr “could mark a turning point” — if international locations and fossil gas companies flip their pollution-cutting guarantees into concrete insurance policies. Methane is chargeable for round 30% of the worldwide warming skilled in the present day, in keeping with the UN Environment Programme.
While some 40% of methane is launched from pure sources, primarily wetlands, human actions are chargeable for the remainder. Agriculture is the principle supply — methane is burped out by livestock equivalent to cows and sheep and emitted throughout rice cultivation.
That is adopted by the vitality sector the place the methane leaks from vitality infrastructure — equivalent to fuel pipelines — and from deliberate releases throughout upkeep.
“This fossil fuel methane pollution has risen three years in a row,” the IEA report stated, including that two thirds of the emissions had been from simply 10 international locations — together with China for its methane linked to coal, and the United States for fuel, with Russia shortly behind.
Major leaks
Overall, the IEA stated the manufacturing and burning of fossil fuels resulted in near 120 million tonnes of methane emissions in 2023, a small rise in contrast with 2022 and near the file excessive in 2019.
“Last year witnessed a surge in large-scale methane leaks,” it stated, “including a well blowout in Kazakhstan that lasted more than 200 days.”
“Some 40% of the emissions recorded in 2023 “could have been avoided at no net cost” utilizing tried and examined strategies to forestall such leakages,” stated IEA vitality professional Christophe McGlade. “It still represents a massive missed opportunity,” he stated.
Methane is much extra highly effective than CO2 at trapping warmth within the ambiance however comparatively short-lived, making it a key goal for international locations desirous to slash emissions shortly and gradual local weather change.
More than 150 international locations — together with Azerbaijan, host of the subsequent UN local weather talks — have promised a 30 % discount by 2030. Oil and fuel companies have in the meantime pledged to slash methane emissions by 2050.
“But these commitments were not backed up by detailed plans,” the IEA stated, calling for concrete insurance policies to show the pledges into actuality.
It stated international locations and corporations have the ability to slash methane emissions from fossil fuels in half by 2030, in the event that they ship on their guarantees.
Source: www.thehindu.com
