UN urges fossil fuel industry to redouble efforts to cut methane emissions

Report released in Abu Dhabi highlights need for sector to tackle release of greenhouse gas

Coal power plants are a major source of methane emissions. AP

Livestock accounts for about one third of methane emissions, the International Methane Emissions Observatory reported. AFP

A Qatari tanker ship is being loaded up with LNG, made up mainly of methane. The state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy said it is joining a new industry-led initiative to reduce nearly all methane emissions from operations by 2030. AP

An oilfield near McKittrick, California. The state has 35,000 oil and gas wells sitting idle, many of which are unplugged and could leak methane gas. AFP

Wind turbines turn on top of a dump next to the BP Refinery Scholven in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Spiralling energy costs caused by various economic factors and the Ukraine war could be a turning point towards cleaner energy, the International Energy Agency says. AP

Waste and landfill sites account for more than 20 per cent of methane emissions. AFP

Globally, agriculture is the largest source of human-caused methane emissions. Bloomberg

Calls have been made by the UN for a redoubling of efforts to cut methane emissions to help limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report on methane emissions, launched in Abu Dhabi, said that methane concentrations in the atmosphere were continuing to rise.

Efforts by the fossil fuel sector offer “by far the greatest potential to achieve rapid methane emissions reductions”, the report from UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory said.

Currently, only a fraction of companies are providing methane emissions estimates that are based on actual measurements.

Companies are making progress, but they must move faster and harder

Inger Andersen,
UNEP executive director

Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, although it does not remain in the atmosphere for as long.

The “An Eye on Methane” report, the second such study from the observatory, was released at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec).

Inger Andersen, UNEP’s executive director, said in a statement that because methane remains in the atmosphere for fewer years than carbon dioxide, cutting emissions of the gas was “the fastest way to tackle climate change in the short term”.

“Companies are making progress, but they must move faster and harder,” she said. “We need more companies to act and they must be bolder.”

While it calls on fossil fuel companies to reduce methane emissions, the report says that doing so “does not reduce the urgency of transitioning away from fossil fuels”.

Niklas Hoehne, of the New Climate Institute in Germany, said reducing methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry should be “relatively easy”.

Sources of methane emissions

Historically, methane has been released by coal mines, a reflection of the fact that different types of fossil fuels are often found together. This methane could, Dr Hoehne said, be collected and sold, which is “a low-cost option”.

Another source of emissions has been leaking pipelines. Dealing with these can make financial as well as environmental sense, Dr Hoehne said.

“In oil production, there’s also sometimes methane coming out of the oilfield. In the early days, it was vented; much better is to burn it,” he said, explaining that this produces CO2, a less potent greenhouse gas.

“The best thing is to collect and use it. In all these cases, it’s in the interests of the fossil fuel industry to reduce these emissions.”

The report states that more than 80 oil and gas companies with operations in about 60 countries have joined the initiative’s reporting programme, the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0. These firms represent more than 30 per cent of global oil and gas production.

“Still, the industry needs to ramp up efforts to cut methane emissions across the entire sector and to reliably quantify and report emissions,” the report said.

Methane emissions from coal mines worldwide exceed those from the global oil or gas sectors. AP

Scientists have estimated that global methane emissions from industry to be between 80 and 140 million tonnes, with the International Energy Agency's estimates “at the lower end of this range”, the report said.

Estimated methane emissions reported through Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 are only 1.3 million tonnes, so there is a “large discrepancy between the estimates of global industry emissions and the proportional share reported by OGMP 2.0 member companies”. Improvements in reporting could reduce this discrepancy.

“We need improved methane emissions data to close the emissions gap and reduce global warming in the short term,” the report said.

A lack of data has made it harder for governments to carry out the targeted measures needed to cut methane emissions, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said in a statement.

“To reduce methane emissions, we need to know more,” she said. “Who is emitting, where and how much … What you do not measure, does not get addressed.”

At the Cop26 climate change gathering in Glasgow, UK, last year, 122 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge, which involves cutting global methane emissions 30 per cent by 2030.

At Cop27, to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to 18, the observatory will launch its Methane Alert and Response System data platform, which will provide data to companies, policymakers and others to help them identify ways to reduce emissions.

Dr Hoehne said there had been a rise in the concentration of methane in the atmosphere in the past year and researchers, as yet, “don’t fully understand why”.

“This is worrying,” he said. “Something is happening. So it’s even more important to do something about it.”

He cautioned, however, that efforts to reduce methane emissions should not distract from work to control emissions of CO2.

The observatory is looking to expand its scope so that it includes emissions from waste and landfill sites (which account for more than 20 per cent of methane emissions), rice cultivation (nearly 10 per cent of methane emissions) and livestock (about one third of methane emissions).

Cutting methane emissions from animals and rice cultivation was possible, Dr Hoehne said, but was “much more difficult” than reducing the release of the gas by the fossil fuel sector.

Adipec 2022: day one — in pictures

Visitors at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, which is being held in the UAE capital. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, said the world will lose 5 million barrels per day of oil each year from current supplies if spending comes to a halt. Photo: Adipec

Dr Al Jaber called for 'maximum' energy with 'minimium' emissions to ensure global energy security. Photo: Adipec

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, is given a briefing at one of the exhibition stands at Adipec, during a tour with Dr Al Jaber. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office

Sheikh Khaled is greeted by an executive at one of the stands at Adipec. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, inaugurated the energy conference. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office

Sheikh Mansour with other sheikhs and officials at Adipec. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office

US presidential co-ordinator Amos Hochstein speaks during the opening ceremony at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom and the UAE will be 'exemplary' hydrocarbon producers while also achieving all their sustainability goals. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei said the Emirates and the Opec+ are 'keen on' meeting global energy requirements. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Tarek El Molla, Egypt's Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, speaks during a panel discussion. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Indian Energy Minister Hardeep Singh Puri makes a point during the panel discussion. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Upstream energy investment in 2021 was depressed for a second consecutive year at $341 billion — about 25 per cent below 2019 levels. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Musadik Masood Malik, Pakistan's Minister of State for Petroleum, with Belinda Balluku, Albania's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, speak on the topic 'Geopolitics of Today: How the Energy Industry is Navigating Through Change' at the Adipec 2022 conference in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Nicolas Terraz, member of the executive committee, president of exploration and production at Total Energies, addresses a panel discussion on 'Transitioning to New Energy Supply and Demand Needs: a Look into the Future' at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Tengku Muhammad Taufik, president and chief executive of Petronas, during a panel discussion on 'The New Business and Energy Portfolio Model: Managing Geopolitical Uncertainty and the Energy Transition' at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Professor Dr Klaus-Dieter Maubach, chief executive of Uniper, at a panel discussion on the topic 'Transitioning to New Energy Supply and Demand Needs: A Look into the Future' at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Haytham Al Ghais, Secretary General of Opec, during OPRC's World Outlook 2022 at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Delegates at Adipec 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Adipec 2022 draws industry representation from across the world to Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National