A newer, more accurate method for calculating methane emissions from offshore oil and gas production suggests that the United Kingdom severely underestimates its greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers conclude that as much as five times more methane is being leaked from oil and gas production than reported.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, contributing about 1 degree Fahrenheit of present-day global warming relative to pre-industrial times. One major source of methane to the atmosphere is the extraction and transport of oil and gas. Countries are obligated to report their greenhouse gas emissions to international bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but recent studies suggest that the current methods for calculating methane emissions rely on outdated and incomplete information and may not accurately represent actual emissions.
A recent study from researchers at Princeton University and Colorado State University finds that the current method for estimating methane emissions from offshore oil and gas production in the United Kingdom systematically and severely underestimates emissions. The study finds that as much as five times more methane is being emitted from oil and gas production in the UK than what the government has reported. The researchers reached this conclusion by critically evaluating the UK’s current method of calculating methane emissions, suggesting alternative, peer-review based methods and generating revised emission estimates.
Read more at: Princeton University
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https://cpree.princeton.edu/news/2023/uk-substantially-underestimates-its-methane-emissions-oil-and-gas-production