Take urgent action against methane emissions

2023-05-22 01:03:23

New research from Queen Mary University of London (UK) has shown that only about 13% of global methane emissions are regulated, despite the fact that methane emissions cause at least 25% of current global warming.

Inaccurate estimates can also make policy makers take the problem less seriously by hiding its severity.

The study, published in the journal One Earth ⁽¹⁾also reveals that little is known about the effectiveness of existing policies, since potentially unrepresentative methane emission estimates are used instead of actual measurements. Inaccurate estimates can also make policy makers take the problem less seriously by hiding its seriousness.

Lack of regulation and clarity

The researchers maintain that the lack of regulation and clarity about its impact must be urgently addressed if we are to meet our global climate goals. The study suggests that a consistent approach across the world, with robust data and quantification, could open up new opportunities to dramatically reduce levels of global warming.

For meet the 1.5ºC target of the Paris Agreementmethane emissions of human origin should rbe reduced by at least 40-45% by 2030compared to 2020 levels.

The methane mitigation is not only a cost-effective strategy to reduce global warming, but could also improve air quality. Today methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since the 1980s.

Today, methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since the 1980s.

This global methane policy review is the first to systematically look at all major emission sources from humans, agriculture, energy and waste. The researchers focused on 281 policies from around the world, 255 of which are currently in place, that aim to control and reduce methane emissions, examining the geographic coverage, robustness, and effectiveness of the policies.

90% of identified national policies have been adopted in three regions: North America (39%), Europe (30%) and Asia-Pacific (21%). Globally, research shows that there has been a gradual increase in methane policies since 1974.

Fossil methane

But fossil methane policies, for example those targeting emissions from the coalhe Petroleum and the gastend to be less stringent than those targeting biogenic methane sources, especially in the waste sector.

In jurisdictions where fossil methane policies apply, other mitigation opportunities include emissions along the supply chain, for example, emissions from gas carriers natural liquid (LNG)which were investigated by a team of QMUL investigators led by Dr Balcombe.

One of the main challenges when measuring methane emissions is to accurately identify and quantify the sources. The development and use of technologies such as satellites to monitor methane emissions they can assist policy makers in measurement, verification, compliance and detection of super emitters.

The introduction of policies with greater coverage, mitigation solutions that include major sources and measurable targets could lead to a significant reduction in methane emissions.

Maria Olczakprincipal investigator of this project from Queen Mary University of London, explains that “methane reduction is still seen as an option rather than a necessary step alongside CO2 reduction to combat global warming. And with so many different sources, we need greater social support and political will to act”.

“Our study underscores the value of establish predictable and clear policies for the industry –continues–. They will help make effective investment decisions in line with the climate mitigation goals long-term, including reductions in emissions intensity and production in developed and developing economies”.

Methane emissions are unregulated, although today they contribute greatly to global warming

The doctor Paul Balcombeco-author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary, comments that “it is shocking to see that most methane emissions are unregulated, when today they are a major contributor to global warming, although precisely controlling emissions It’s not easy. Our chances of meeting global climate goals are slim if this goes unchecked.”

There is a huge opportunity to limit warming in the short term

“The good news is that there is a huge opportunity to limit warming in the short term if we move quickly to control methane emissions,” he continued. We urgently need stricter regulations on better methane control and concrete actions to adopt reduction measures“.

For his part, Andris Piebalgs, author of the study, part-time professor at the Florence School of Regulation and former EU Commissioner for Energy, stresses that “in recent years we have witnessed a increased attention paid to methane thanks to multilateral initiatives such as the International Methane Emissions Observatory and the Global Commitment on Methane“.

“The European Union and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are finalizing an ambitious regulation on methane emissions in the energy sector,” he recalls. “I hope that the next COP28 and the first Global Assessment make policy makers around the world realize that methane mitigation is an effective way to improve their climate commitments.”

What you need to know about methane

• Methane (CH4), the main component of natural gas, is responsible for more than 25% of the warming we are currently experiencing. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC for its acronym in English)
• Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2) for 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere.
• Methane is responsible for about half of the increase in the formation of tropospheric ozone, a dangerous air pollutant. (United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP)
• The European Union, the United States of America and their partners have launched the Global Commitment on Methane to promote near-term methane mitigation. More than 100 countries representing 70% of the world economy have joined the Global Methane Pledge, pledging to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from year-ago levels by 2030. 2020.
• The 1.5°C target cannot be reached without reducing methane emissions by 40-45% by 2030. A reduction of this magnitude would avoid almost 0.3°C of warming by 2045 and would complement long-term climate change mitigation efforts. (Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, CCAC)

References

• ⁽¹⁾ A global review of methane policies reveals that only 13% of emissions are covered with unclear effectiveness. One Earth.